Maule M-6-235 accident near Ronan, Montana, September 29, 2006
On September 29, 2006 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Maule M-6-235, registered N9918T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ronan, Montana (Ronan 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 directional control during the landing roll in the tailwheel-equipped aircraft. A swale (sunken area) between the runway and the taxiway was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2006 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 2006
- Place
- Ronan, Montana · Ronan Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-6-235 · all M-6-235s on the register
- Registration
- N9918T · registry record · serial 7491C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll in the tailwheel-equipped aircraft, the pilot failed to maintain directional control, and the aircraft departed the side of the runway. After departing the runway, the aircraft rolled through a swale (sunken area) between the runway and the taxiway. As it was coming up out of the swale, the aircraft's right wing contacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage. In his written statement, the pilot said, "I should have maintained better directional control of the aircraft on the runway..." There was no indication of a flight control malfunction.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 261 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-W1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KMSO Missoula MT
- Destination: 7S0 Ronan MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9918T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule M-6 81 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-W1A 4,223 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ronan Airport · nearest airport
- Missoula Montana Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,041 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA06CA191.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.