Mooney M20C accident near Neihart, Montana, September 18, 1989
On September 18, 1989 at about 1:22 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N3456X, was destroyed in an accident near Neihart, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE. RELATED FACTORS WERE: THE HIGH TERRAIN AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1989 · about 1:22 pm local time
- Place
- Neihart, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3456X · no longer on the register · serial 3411
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT RATED COMMERCIAL PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS CRUISING AT 14,500 FEET WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED CLOUDS. HE DESCENDED TO 12,500 FEET AND THEN TO 11,000 FEET IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID THE WEATHER. HE STATED 'I DESCENDED DOWN TO ELEVEN THOUSAND AND THE TREES CAME RIGHT UP ON ME. I WAS VFR, DIDN'T FILE A FLIGHT PLAN . . .' ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS 9175 FEET.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,632 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MT02 Hardin MT at 11:22 am
- Destination: LWS Lewiston ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:27 pm from GTF, 43 miles away
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.