Piper PA-32RT-300T accident near Garneill, Montana, April 6, 1985
On April 6, 1985 at about 2:15 am local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, registered N21092, was destroyed in an accident near Garneill, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 6, 1985 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Garneill, Montana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300T PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300Ts on the register
- Registration
- N21092 · no longer on the register · serial 32R7887188
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING A NIGHT X-COUNTRY FLT, HE ENCOUNTERED MARGINAL (OBSCURED) WX & REVERSED COURSE TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE POINT. HE STATED THAT WHILE HE WAS RETURNING, HE 'DOZED OFF A LITTLE BIT' & WHEN HE AWOKE, HE SAW A MOUNTAIN DIRECTLY AHEAD. HE TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY PULLING THE ACFT UP, BUT THE ACFT PANCAKED INTO THE MOUNTAIN. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT WAS TIRED, & WHILE RETURNING, HE RELAXED & MOMENTARILY FELL ASLEEP.
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: 1,385 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 40 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZM Bozeman MT
- Destination: HVR Havre MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 am from LWT, 30 miles away
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.