Piper PA-30 accident near Stevensville, Montana, November 17, 2000
On November 17, 2000 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N7062Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stevensville, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fatigue of the right propeller blade resulting in an in-flight separation of the blade tip. A contributing factor was the improper maintenance procedure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2000 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Stevensville, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7062Y · registry record · serial 30-74
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a descent, and while passing through approximately 8,000 feet mean sea level, a sudden, violent airframe vibration developed in the twin engine Piper PA-30, and the pilot shut down the right engine. He then noticed a portion of the one of the propeller's tips missing. Metallurgical examination of the blade revealed a fatigue fracture initiating from a dent about 0.2 inch from the leading edge of the blade. The dent measured approximately 0.07 inch wide in the chordwise direction and about 0.03 inch deep and was covered with flat black paint. The propeller log indicated repeated historical occasions whereby the propeller had been dressed and painted. FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B/2A, 'Aircraft Inspection, Repair & Alterations' states in Section 4. 'Repair of Metal Propellers,' paragraph 8-73(a) 'Flaws in Edges,' that the mechanic should '...Exercise care to remove the deepest point of the injury and also remove any raised metal around the edges of the injury....'
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,946 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 315 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days; 4,799 as pilot in command; 504 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 2000; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT at 10:40 pm
- Destination: 32S Stevensville MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from MSO, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.