Piper PA-28-181 accident near Marion, Montana, July 29, 1982
On July 29, 1982 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8997E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marion, Montana (Lost Prairie-Carson Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- July 29, 1982 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Montana · Lost Prairie-Carson Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8997E · no longer on the register · serial 287690218
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS ALSO A RATED PILOT, WERE AT THE CONTROLS. DURING ARRIVAL, THE WIND SOCK WAS CHECKED, BUT NO WIND WAS NOTICED. REPORTEDLY, THE PILOT'S HUSBAND LANDED THE PLANE FROM THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE FLARE WAS STARTED, THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN AND THEN BALLOONED UP. IT TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN, THEN ON THE THIRD BOUNCE THE NOSE GEAR AND PROPELLER HIT THE GROUND. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE NOSE GEAR FAILED, THE AIRCRAFT SPUN TO THE LEFT AND THE LEFT GEAR FAILED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 69 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 32 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,103 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U56 Rigby ID at 1:20 pm
- Destination: 88J Allendale SC
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30, 4,000 ft by 70 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 192°F (89°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:59 pm from FCA, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.