Piper PA-28-140 accident near Superior, Montana, February 9, 2005
On February 9, 2005 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N6399W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Superior, Montana (Mineral County Airport). 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
A loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadequate planning/decision and improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation. A contributing factor was the berm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 2005 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Superior, Montana · Mineral County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N6399W · no longer on the register · serial 2820467
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot elected to make an unscheduled landing due to what he perceived as a low fuel state, as both fuel gages were indicating less than one-quarter full. While maneuvering in the traffic pattern to afford another airplane on the runway adequate time to depart, the airplane's engine began to run rough, then lost power completely. The pilot went through the checklist to restart the airplane, and nearing the end of the runway power was restored, but only briefly; the engine failed a second time and there was no attempt to restart it. A clearing was located in which to land and after touching down and rolling out, the nose gear impacted a berm, which resulted in the nose gear failing aft causing substantial damage to the firewall. During the recovery process approximately one quart of fuel was observed in the right tank and 5.5 gallons in the left tank; the fuel selector was positioned in the LEFT TANK position. The pilot said he thought the fuel selector was in the Right Tank position prior to the engine quitting, however, couldn't say for sure if he moved it to the LEFT TANK position when the engine quit. A post accident examination revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions which would have precluded normal operation.
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: 116 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 65 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,356.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Three Rivers MT at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 9S4 Superior MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from MSO, 40 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.