Cessna 172N accident near Columbus, Montana, October 18, 1991
On October 18, 1991 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733QL, was destroyed in an accident near Columbus, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S OPERATION AT TOO LOW AN ALTITUDE OVER THE RIVER AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM THE POWER LINES. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE WIRES CROSSING THE RIVER AND THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S POOR JUDGEMENT IN CHOOSING TO OPERATE AT LOW ALTITUDES ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 1991 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Columbus, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733QL · no longer on the register · serial 17268465
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS DEPARTED BILLINGS, MONTANA, AT 1421 ON A LOCAL VFR FLIGHT INN THE CESSNA 172N. SHORTLY THEREAFTER SEVERAL WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT OPERATING AT TREETOP LEVEL WESTBOUND IN THE VICINITY OF THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER. ONE WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT THE WATER. ON SITE EXAMINATION REVEALED IMPACT MARKS ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER CONSISTENT WITH A WIRE STRIKE. POWER LINES SUSPENDED 40 FFET ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE RIVER WERE OBSERVED TO HAVE IMPACT RELATED DAMAGE AT A LOCATION NEAR WHERE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE WATER.
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: 114 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 68 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,075 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 1991; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Corporate Air
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 8:21 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 31.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from LVM, 41 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.