Cessna 120 accident near Toston, Montana, July 3, 2000
On July 3, 2000 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N2146N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Toston, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude to avoid contact with the ground. Contributing factors were the downdraft conditions and the fence post.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2000 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Toston, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N2146N · registry record · serial 12382
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported in a telephonic interview that he and his son were on a local sightseeing flight operating approximately 1,000 feet above ground when the aircraft encountered a strong downdraft. Concerned that the aircraft might make contact with terrain, the pilot maneuvered over a dirt road. Although the pilot reported no mechanical problem with the aircraft or its powerplant, the aircraft continued to descend until touchdown on the road. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear and right wing impacted a fence post and the right wheel separated from the strut. The aircraft then veered right off the road nosing over as it passed into a ditch.
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
- Flight time: 1,860 hours in all; 1,750 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,795 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 2000; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HLN Helena MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from BZN, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.