Piper PA-28-140 accident near Miles City, Montana, September 27, 2000
On September 27, 2000, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N4686R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miles City, Montana (Sunday Creek airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A 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
- September 27, 2000
- Place
- Miles City, Montana · Sunday Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N4686R · no longer on the register · serial 28-21447
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor reported that the flight took off with approximately 1/2 fuel; the student stated that the flight then proceeded normally for 45 minutes to an hour prior to the accident. Both pilots reported that after applying full power on a touch-and-go and departing the runway, the aircraft did not climb at an acceptable rate (although the student reported that 'The engine seemed to be running smoothly but without power.') The aircraft's stall warning activated and the instructor took control, but he was unable to arrest a 'shallow descent' despite applying full power. The aircraft crashed about 200 yards west of the end of the airstrip's runway. Available data did not support a lack of aircraft climb capability for the density altitude conditions, excess aircraft gross weight, or a significant carburetor icing hazard. The student's carbon monoxide (CO) level was found to be slightly elevated after the accident, but the instructor's CO level was normal. Post-accident examinations of the aircraft's engine and exhaust system did not reveal any evidence of pre-accident defects.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,783 hours in all; 375 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,434 as pilot in command; 548 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,354 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 2000; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLS Miles City MT at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.