Cessna 310I accident near Helena, Montana, April 9, 1988
On April 9, 1988 at about 5:30 am local time, a Cessna 310I, registered N8008M, was destroyed in an accident near Helena, Montana (Helena Regional airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- April 9, 1988 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Helena, Montana · Helena Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310I · all 310Is on the register
- Registration
- N8008M · no longer on the register · serial 310I0008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DEPD GLASGOW, MONTANA, WHERE THE PASSENGER (SECRETARY OF STATE FOR MONTANA) HAD BEEN CAMPAIGNING. INITIALLY, A VFR FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED; HOWEVER, DRG ARRIVAL AT HELENA, AN IFR FLT PLAN WAS FILED WHEN THE PLT REALIZED THE WX HAD DETERIORATED. THE FCST HAD INDICATED CHC OF CEILING 2500 BKN WITH LIGHT SNOW. THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 27 APCH AT 2328 MDT. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLNC, BUT A SHORT TIME LATER, RADIO CTC WAS LOST. THE ACFT CRASHED ALONG THE ILS COURSE AFTER IT HAD PASSED THE FINAL APCH FIX/OUTER MARKER. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT A SNOW STORM BEGAN JUST BEFORE THE ACDNT OCCURRED AND THE VISIBILITY WAS NEAR ZERO DUE TO BLOWING SNOW. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. WITNESSES SAID THEY HEARD THE ACFT OPERATING AT HIGH RPM AND LOW ALTITUDE BEFORE THE CRASH, OR THAT THE ENG SOUND INCREASED BEFORE IMPACT. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ENG SOUND VARIED FM HIGH TO LOW RPM. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THE PLT HAD LOGGED 2 HRS IN C-310 AND 3 INSTRUMENT HRS IN PREV 90 DAYS.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,809 hours in all; 75 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 17,415 as pilot in command; 5,261 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GGW Glasgow MT at 4:02 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 13 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.