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Accidents · NTSB SEA00FA031 · Final report

Mooney M20-M accident near Missoula, Montana, December 12, 1999

On December 12, 1999 at about 7:35 pm local time, a Mooney M20-M, registered N270BB, was destroyed in an accident near Missoula, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

Engine failure for undetermined reasons. Factors include the lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing, trees and mountainous terrain.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
December 12, 1999 · about 7:35 pm local time · cases in 1999
Place
Missoula, Montana · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
conditions the NTSB did not record
Aircraft
Mooney M20-M · all M20-Ms on the register
Registration
N270BB · registry record · serial 27-0012
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

While at cruise at flight level 250 (25,000 feet), the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. While making an emergency descent in the direction of an alternate airport, the aircraft collided with mountainous terrain and was destroyed. Post-accident examination and testing of the airframe, engine and associated components revealed no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure.

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; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 4,582 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,240 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 7, 1999; 2 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine: Continental TSIOL-550 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: SFF Spokane WA at 8:23 pm
  • Destination: FSD Sioux Falls SD
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
  • Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
  • Observation at 7:45 pm from MSO, 9 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA00FA031.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.