Piper PA-31T1 accident near Brockway, Montana, November 30, 1994
On November 30, 1994 at about 2:50 am local time, a Piper PA-31T1, registered N22CN, was destroyed in an accident near Brockway, Montana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1994 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Brockway, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T1 · all PA-31T1s on the register
- Registration
- N22CN · no longer on the register · serial 31T-7904049
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was level at FL220 at night when vertical fluctuations in altitude up to 500 feet above altitude were noted by the Salt Lake Center controller. Immediately thereafter, the aircraft began a descent and transponder targets were lost. A trajectory study showed the aircraft descending in a tight right turn. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the right elevator separated in negative overload with both wings separating negatively. Wreckage distribution established separation of the empennage and its associated control surfaces before the separation of the wings. A preimpact fire was witnessed and the main fuselage was destroyed by an intense postcrash fire. The initiating event which resulted in the altitude divergence and descending turn could not be determined.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 170 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 6, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 8,700 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LSE Lacrosse WI at 11:32 pm
- Destination: FCA Kalispell MT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:48 am from MLS, 39 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.