Piper PA-12-150 accident near Anaconda, Montana, September 8, 1987
On September 8, 1987 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-12-150, registered N7695H, was destroyed in an accident near Anaconda, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- September 8, 1987 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Anaconda, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12-150 · all PA-12-150s on the register
- Registration
- N7695H · no longer on the register · serial 12-585
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BOTH PLTS WERE REPORTEDLY AVID BIG HORN SHEEP HUNTERS. ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT, THE 2ND PLT PICKED UP TOPOGRAPHICAL CHARTS OF THE AREA WHERE THE ACFT CRASHED. IT WAS AN AREA WHERE THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PARKS (FWP) HAD RECENTLY RELOCATED A HERD OF BIG HORN SHEEP. THE 2ND PLT WAS ALSO A RECENTLY RETIRED FWP REGIONAL SUPERVISOR WHO HAD BEEN IN CHARGE OF SHEEP HERD RELOCATIONS. ONE WITNESS SAW THE ACFT FLYING EAST ACROSS THE MTNS AT LOW ALT. IT SUDDENLY DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT AND SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE AREA. WINDS ALOFT WERE FORCAST TO BE OUT OF THE NNW AT 14-15 KTS. NO EVIDENCE WAS FD TO INDICATE ANY PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE ACFT STRUCK THE EAST WALL OF 7300 FT HIGH BUND GULCH AT ABT THE 7250 FT LEVEL IN A NOSE HIGH, L WG LOW ATTITUDE. THE CARB THROTTLE VALVE WAS FULL OPEN. THE PROP BORE EVIDENCE OF ROTATION AT IMPACT.
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: 4,200 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Lolo MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from BTM, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.