Luscombe T-8F accident near Choteau, Montana, October 14, 1982
On October 14, 1982 at about 6:00 am local time, a Luscombe T-8F, registered N2231B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Choteau, Montana (Choteau airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1982 · about 6:00 am local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Choteau, Montana · Choteau · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe T-8F · all T-8Fs on the register
- Registration
- N2231B · no longer on the register · serial 6658
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC WAS A DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO GIVE THE PIC OPPORTUNITY TO FLY THE ACFT FROM THE REAR SEAT AS HE WAS PLANNING TO GIVE FLT INSTRUCTION IN THE ACFT IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AS FAR AS COULD BE DETERMINED, THE PIC HAD NEVER FLOWN THE ACFT FROM THE REAR SEAT. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A FLAT SPIN.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,126 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 1,709 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,480 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Insurance Associates, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 4U5 Choteau MT
- Destination: 4U5 Choteau MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 am from GTF, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2231B: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Luscombe T-8 25 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Luscombe 1,472 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D 45 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,119 since 1982 · 164 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,045 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN83FA008.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.