Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 N45254

Summary

On 31 August 2025 at about 14:45 local time, a Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 registered N45254 was involved in an accident near Red Lodge, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 August 2025 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Red Lodge, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Red Lodge (RED)

Coordinates

45.1776, -109.2557

Aircraft

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3

Registration

N45254

Category

Airplane

Year built

1941

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA271

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from obstacles during an aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the high density altitude weather condition.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while landing he executed a go around due to numerous people on the grass runway. On the second approach the airplane touched down hard and bounced so the pilot added power and initiated a go-around. During the go-around, the airplane impacted a wire fence at the end of the runway and subsequently struck powerlines before it came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that he had previously only flown low approaches at the airport, and he had not landed there before. He also reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The nearest weather reporting station, about 27 miles southeast of the accident site, reported around the time of the accident, altimeter setting of 30.31 inches of mercury, and temperature of 68° F. The calculated density altitude was 7,349 ft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.