Amateur-built DAVIS DA-2A accident near Billings, Montana, March 8, 1992
On March 8, 1992, a amateur-built DAVIS DA-2A, registered N48BR, was destroyed in an accident near Billings, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN TERRAIN CLEARANCE. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE AND THE RISING TERRAIN IN THE AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1992
- Place
- Billings, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DAVIS DA-2A DAVIS DA-2
- Registration
- N48BR · registry record · serial 1022
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED RISING TERRAIN NEAR THE TOP OF A HILL WHILE MANEUVERING AT A LOW ALTITUDE ABOVE THE GROUND. THE PILOT HELD A STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE AND WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO CONDUCT THE FLIGHT WITH A PASSENGER ABOARD.
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: student
- Flight time: 61 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 1991; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 050° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from BIL, 8 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.