Piper PA-12 accident near St. Xavier, Montana, August 21, 1983
On August 21, 1983 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N3351M, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Xavier, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 21, 1983 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Xavier, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N3351M · no longer on the register · serial 12-2210
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE DURING AN ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND IN A FIELD WHICH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 500 FT LONG. THE WIND WAS CALM AND THE DENSITY ALT WAS CALCULATED TO BE 4900 FT. AFTER LANDING AND ROLLING 300 FT THE PLT DECIDED HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STOP. HE APPLIED POWER TO GO-AROUND AND THE ENGINE COUGHED AND SPUTTERED. AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE THE ENGINE COUGHED AGAIN. AT THE END OF THE FIELD THE LANDING GEAR OF THE ACFT HIT A FENCE POST AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: 312 hours in all; 238 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 273 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,621 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1983; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-02 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: St. Xavier MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
Other NTSB records under N3351M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.