Cessna 177B accident near Chinook, Montana, October 9, 2003
On October 9, 2003 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N30921, was destroyed in an accident near Chinook, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power in cruise flight due to the separation of the carburetor from its mounting bolts, and the pilot's failure to adequately compensate for strong crosswinds while attempting the subsequent forced landing. Additional factors include strong crosswinds, a tree immediately adjacent to the gravel road that the pilot chose to land on, and the pilot's impairment due to recent use of Marihuana.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2003 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Chinook, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N30921 · no longer on the register · serial 17701546
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight the aircraft suddenly lost all engine power, and after unsuccessfully attempting to get the engine restarted, the pilot attempted a forced landing on a nearby gravel road. During that attempt, the pilot failed to adequately compensate for strong crosswinds, and therefore inadvertently clipped the top of a tree that was located immediately adjacent to the approach end of the section of road he was trying to land upon. A post-accident inspection of the engine determined that the carburetor had separated from the engine in cruise flight, due to the fact that there were no longer any nuts on any of the four carburetor mount retaining lug bolts. The carburetor mounting flange holes all remained intact, and none of the four mounting bolts showed any signs of damaged or distorted threads. Recent use of Marihuana was determined to have impaired the pilot's judgment at the time he was attempting the forced landing.
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: 997 hours in all; 983 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,083 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GTF Great Falls MT at 10:20 pm
- Destination: 42S Poplar MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.