Piper PA-23 accident near Gardiner, Montana, April 17, 1982
On April 17, 1982, a Piper PA-23, registered N3371P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gardiner, Montana (Gardiner airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1982
- Place
- Gardiner, Montana · Gardiner
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N3371P · no longer on the register · serial 23-1328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PILOT OBSERVED THAT AN AIRCRAFT WAS STUCK IN THE MUD ON RUNWAY 28. AFTER A SHORT RADIO DISCUSSION WITH THE PILOT OF THE IMMOBILIZED AIRCRAFT, A DECISION WAS MADE TO LAND ON THE OPPOSITE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRSPEED WAS SLOWER THAN NORMAL, AND THAT THE TOUCHDOWN WAS HARDER THAN NORMAL. HE STATED THAT AS THE LANDING ROLL BEGAN, THE LEFT GEAR SANK IN THE MUD AND COLLAPSED. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FLAP, BOTH PROPELLERS, RIGHT WING SPAR, AND RIGHT NACELLE. THE AIRPORT ELEVATION WAS 5286 FT. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A NOTAM CONCERNING THE RUNWAY CONDITION.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,060 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 2,811 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,226 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Billings MT at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Gardiner MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 3,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 117°F (47°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.