Cessna 206 accident near Hardin, Montana, December 14, 1985
On December 14, 1985 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered N5173U, was destroyed in an accident near Hardin, Montana (Jip Creek airport). 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
- December 14, 1985 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hardin, Montana · Jip Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N5173U · registry record · serial 206-0173
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LDG TO THE EAST ON A SNOW COVERED DIRT RWY, THE PILOT ELECTED TO T/O ON AN INTERSECTING RWY TO THE SOUTH. HE COULD NOT SEE THE ENTIRE RWY SURFACE FROM THE POSITION DUE TO DWN SLOPE FROM CENTER OF RWY. THE ACFT IMPACTED SNOWDRIFTS 40-50 MPH ON T/O GND ROLL IN THE UNOBSERVED PORTION OF RWY, DEPARTED RT SIDE OF RWY DOWN 30 DEGREES SLOPING TERRAIN, AND CRASHED IN DEEP SNOW.
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: 970 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 970 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,931 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 5, 1985; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO 520A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 6S6 Hardin MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.