Cessna 152TW accident near Missoula, Montana, May 12, 2005
On May 12, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152TW, registered N7866Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Missoula, Montana (Missoula International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a taxiway identification sign as he attempted to turn off the runway onto the taxiway during the last part of the landing roll. Factors include a taxiway identification sign in the vicinity of the intersection of the runway and the taxiway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Missoula, Montana · Missoula International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152TW · all 152TWs on the register
- Registration
- N7866Z · registry record · serial 59966
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who landed on Runway 25, was cleared by the tower to turn off the runway at Taxiway Echo 4. While attempting to make the right-hand turn onto the taxiway, the pilot inadvertently turned too soon, and the aircraft collided with the runway identification sign near the intersection of the runway and the taxiway. The force of the impact resulted in the right main gear leg attachment box being bent and distorted. According to the pilot, there was nothing wrong with the aircraft's directional control system or brakes.
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: 390 hours in all; 148 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 360 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,139 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2004; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 52S St. Ignatius MT at 8:45 pm
- Destination: KMSO Missoula MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,612 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N7866Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.