Beech BE-99 accident near Neihart, Montana, August 18, 2004
On August 18, 2004 at about 5:40 am local time, a Beech BE-99, registered N199GL, was destroyed in an accident near Neihart, Montana. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance during cruise, which resulted in the in-flight collision with mountainous terrain. Dark night conditions and mountainous terrain were contributing factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2004 · about 5:40 am local time
- Place
- Neihart, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-99
- Registration
- N199GL · no longer on the register · serial U015
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on the return leg of a non-scheduled 14 CFR Part 135 VFR cross-country flight, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain at approximately 9,100 feet above mean sea level. Prior to the accident, the pilot informed air traffic control that he was VFR and level at 8,500 feet MSL. Dark night conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aircraft crashed on the south-facing slope of the 9,100-foot mountain near the last recorded radar position. Wreckage and impact signatures at the crash site were indicative of high energy and shallow impact with the terrain. The investigation revealed no evidence of any aircraft mechanical problems.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 15,440 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 14,440 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 3, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,521 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 28, 2004; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-27/28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-27/28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 5:10 am
- Destination: FCA Kalispell MT
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KGTF, 43 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.