Amateur-built TIERRA II accident near Lewistown, Montana, July 2, 1989
On July 2, 1989 at about 5:02 pm local time, a amateur-built TIERRA II, registered N349SM, was destroyed in an accident near Lewistown, Montana (Lewiston Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE UNQUALIFIED PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO BECOME AIRBORNE WHILE TAXIING AT HIGH SPEED, HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND HE INADVERTENTLY ALLOWED IT TO ENTER A STALL/SPIN AND CRASHED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: HIS FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES, AND HIS LACK OF QUALIFICATION AS A PILOT
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1989 · about 5:02 pm local time
- Place
- Lewistown, Montana · Lewiston Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TIERRA II
- Registration
- N349SM · no longer on the register · serial 9
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER OF THE HOME BUILT ACFT HAD PURCHASED IT FROM THE BUILDER. HE POSSESSED NEITHER AN FAA MEDICAL, NOR A PLT CERTIFICATE, & HAD NO PREVIOUS FLT TIME IN THIS MAKE & MODEL OF ACFT. HE TOLD A WITNESS THAT HE INTENDED TO TAXI IT (PRESUMABLY FOR FAMILIARIZATION). SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE & REMAINED WITHIN ABOUT 1/2 MI OF THE DEP END OF RWY 30. WITNESSES OBSERVED IT MANEUVERING ERRATICALLY AFTER TAKEOFF. ONE WITNESS BELIEVED THE UNQUALIFIED PLT CROSS- CONTROLLED THE ACFT WITH LEFT RUDDER & RGT AILERON; THE WITNESS SAID THE ACFT NEARLY HIT A HANGAR. SUBSEQUENTLY, AFTER AN APPARENT PWR REDUCTION, THE ACFT ENTERED A STALL/SPIN & CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. A LOCAL CFI RPRTD HE HAD GIVEN THE PLT APRX 4 HRS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION DURING A PREVIOUS 12 TO 24 MONTH PERIOD, BUT THE PLT HAD NOT SHOWN INTEREST IN FOLLOWING A REGULAR/STRUCTURED PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION. DURING TESTS, CANNABINOIDS WERE DETECTED IN THE PLT'S URINE, BUT NONE WAS FOUND IN HIS BLOOD.
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
- Flight time: 4 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier ROTAX (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 4,150 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from LWT
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.