Piper PA-16 accident near Park City, Montana, July 20, 2005
On July 20, 2005 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-16, registered N5942H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Park City, 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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane on the takeoff roll. Factors contributing to the accident included the loose gravel, ditch, and the fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2005 · about 6:15 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Park City, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-16 · all PA-16s on the register
- Registration
- N5942H · registry record · serial 16-564
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After measuring the north-south gravel road's width as being 36 feet, and noting that her airplane's wingspan was 30 feet, the pilot elected to takeoff south on the crowned, downhill road with telephone wires bordering it on the east. Staying to the right during the takeoff roll on the loose gravel, the pilot got off into a bordering ditch, then into the adjoining wheat field before ground looping across the road and impacting a fence. The outboard left wing, left forward wing lift strut, left landing gear, and propeller were damaged.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,667 hours in all; 1,511 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S83 Kellog ID
- Destination: 6S8 Laurel MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5942H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5942H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-16 Clipper 276 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 14 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Shoshone County · departed from
- Laurel Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,044 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N5942H 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA05CA148.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.