Cessna 310R accident near Columbia Falls, Montana, January 27, 2000
On January 27, 2000 at about 3:36 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N87338, was destroyed in an accident near Columbia Falls, Montana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot-in-command to follow the prescribed instrument approach missed approach procedure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 2000 · about 3:36 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia Falls, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N87338 · no longer on the register · serial 310R0518
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had been cleared for and had flown the VOR runway 30 approach. Upon his arrival at the missed approach point, he did not have the runway or the airport environment in sight. He said he had heard that an aircraft that had preceded him to the airport had reported the weather to be better to the south and west of the airport, and had reported seeing the airport from the west side of the airport. The pilot stated that after he arrived at the missed approach point and did not have the runway or airport environment in sight, he continued to the west side of the airport and made a left turn, for a 'downwind for runway 02,' saying he intended to use the localizer frequency to help him find the runway. He then tuned the number one navigation receiver to the localizer frequency for the ILS runway 02 approach. He said he thought a left turn would align the aircraft with runway 02 and, if he did not see the runway, the left turn would place him back near the missed approach point and he would begin the missed approach from that point. The pilot told FAA inspectors that he did not acquire the runway or airport environment visually. He said the number two navigation receiver was tuned to the VOR frequency. He said he did not remember centering the CDI 9course deviation indicator) for navigation to the VOR for the missed approach, nor does he remember the localizer needle (navigation receiver number one) being centered. He offered no explanation as to how the aircraft wound up about eight miles north of the airport on the mountainside.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,700 hours in all; 1,550 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 6,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,085 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 7, 1999; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GTF Great Falls MT at 2:25 pm
- Destination: FCA Kalispell MT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:03 pm from KFC, 9 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.