Amateur-built AVID MARK IV accident near Thompson Falls, Montana, July 30, 2019
On July 30, 2019 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1996 amateur-built AVID MARK IV, registered N4829W, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Thompson Falls, Montana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to go-around after a hard, bounced landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a collision with trees at the departure end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2019 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Thompson Falls, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID MARK IV No Series, built 1996
- Registration
- N4829W · no longer on the register · serial 1541-D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, during landing on a private grass airstrip, the airplane bounced hard, so he added power to stabilize it before continuing the landing. However, the airplane was nearing the end of the airstrip, so he added full power. The instructor stated that he initially assumed the student was performing a go-around, although they had not previously discussed the procedure. As the airplane continued toward the end of the airstrip, the student did not conduct a go-around, so the instructor took control of the airplane and initiated a go-around, but about 15 ft above ground level (agl), the airplane impacted trees beyond the end of the runway, spun, and stopped in the trees about 4 ft agl. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and recommended that the student should have had more practice at a conventional airport before practicing at a private airstrip with restricted maneuvering space.
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
What happened, in order
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
Dual student
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 2.7 in the last 90 days; 1.2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,941 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 8,650 as pilot in command; 1,340 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 4, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200 (piston); 276 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Thompson Falls MT at 3:05 pm
- Destination: Thompson Falls MT
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KMLP, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 18, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Student Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.