Piper PA-18-150 accident near Galen, Montana, January 15, 1983
On January 15, 1983 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4610Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Galen, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- January 15, 1983 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Galen, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4610Y · registry record · serial 18-8940
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PLT CIRCLED AROUND SOME RANCH BUILDING, THEN BEGAN A STEEP CLIMBING TURN. THE PLT STATED THAT HE WAS MOMENTARILY DISTRACTED BY AN OUTSIDE OBSERVATION, THE CLIMB BECAME TOO STEEP, AND THE PLANE STALLED. THE PILOT INITIATED A RECOVERY, BUT THE ACFT HIT THE GROUND IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE WHILE STILL SETTLING, HE REPORTED THAT AFTER HITTING THE GROUND, THE ACFT BOUNCED THRU A FENCE, SLID DOWN A SLOPE ALONG ANOTHER FENCE AND CAME TO REST IN A DITCH.
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: 147 hours in all; 94 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 127 as pilot in command; 20 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 886 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 22, 1982; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.