Piper PA-11 accident near Hammond, Montana, December 17, 1988
On December 17, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-11, registered N78654, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hammond, Montana (Farm Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Hammond, Montana · Farm Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-11 · all PA-11s on the register
- Registration
- N78654 · registry record · serial 11-1415
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT, WHO WAS A VETERINARIAN, LANDED HIS ACFT IN ROUGH, CULTIVATED FARM FLD AT A RANCH IN ORDER TO CONDUCT BUSINESS. UPON COMPLETION OF HIS BUSINESS, THE PLT SELECTED A SMOOTHER AREA IN THE SAME FIELD FOR TAKEOFF. THE AREA WAS SMOOTHER BUT WAS SHORTER AND THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE.
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: 1,242 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,438 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1988; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 10:00 pm
- Destination: EKA Ekalaka MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N78654 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-11 Cub Special 443 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-90 2,149 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Murray Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,041 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN89LA046.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.