Aero Commander 690A accident near Miles City, Montana, January 7, 1987
On January 7, 1987 at about 8:59 pm local time, a Aero Commander 690A, registered N57133, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miles City, Montana (Wiley airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 7, 1987 · about 8:59 pm local time
- Place
- Miles City, Montana · Wiley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690A · all 690As on the register
- Registration
- N57133 · registry record · serial 11133
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OF THE NONSCHEDULED DOMESTIC PAX AIR TAXI FLT WAS FLYING THE VOR/DME RWY 22 APCH TO WILEY FIELD, MILES CITY, MT. THE PLT SAID HE TURNED ON THE AUTOPILOT AND AFTER TURNING INBOUND FROM THE PROCEDURE TURN TOWARDS THE FAF HE ENGAGED THE APCH MODE. AFTER CROSSING THE FAF THE PLT DESCENDED TO MDA AND ENGAGED THE ALT HOLD MODE. WHEN HE REACHED THE MAP THE PLT STARTED TO MAKE A MISSED APCH BUT A PAX, SEATED NEXT TO HIM IN THE COPILOT'S SEAT, REPORTED THE RWY IN SIGHT. THE PLT SAID HE SAW THE RWY AND RETARDED THE THROTTLES IN ORDER TO DESCEND FOR LANDING. THE ACFT NOSE PITCHED UP ABRUPTLY, THE ACFT STALLED, AND MUSHED TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT HIT HARD AND SKIDDED OFF THE RWY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,398 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 186 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 2,198 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,216 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 21, 1986; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,300 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-5251K (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 8:10 pm
- Destination: MLS Miles City MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 5,783 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:01 pm from MLS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
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.