Beech S35 accident near Melstone, Montana, October 21, 1999
On October 21, 1999 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Beech S35, registered N8811M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Melstone, Montana (Roberts Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 1999 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Melstone, Montana · Roberts Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech S35 · all S35s on the register
- Registration
- N8811M · no longer on the register · serial D-7333
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while en route, the engine started to miss. The pilot attempted to trouble-shoot the problem with no success. The pilot opted to divert to a private airstrip that he was unfamiliar with so he set-up for a short field landing. While on short final, the engine missed and the airplane descended in altitude. The altitude was insufficient for the pilot to push the nose down, so the pilot opted to try and arrest the sink rate. The airplane settled to the ground and landed hard about 25 to 50 feet short of the airstrip, collapsing the landing gear. The engine was first inspected, the prepared for an engine run. The engine started on the first attempt and ran smoothly. The magnetos, mixture and fuel pressure were checked and all were found within normal operating parameters.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 525 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 420 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,660 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1999; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 7:30 pm
- Destination: GGW Glascow MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from BIL, 70 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.