Piper PA-24-250 accident near Anaconda, Montana, May 1, 1995
On May 1, 1995, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6288P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anaconda, Montana. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO CONDUCT VISUAL FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1995
- Place
- Anaconda, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6288P · registry record · serial 24-1398
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A TREE WHILE THE PILOT WAS MANEUVERING IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AFTER HE HAD TURNED AWAY FROM HIS DESTINATION DUE TO DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING A VFR FLIGHT. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE COLLISION AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER DIFFICULTY.
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: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 707 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 575 as pilot in command; 311 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,495 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 1995; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSO Missoula MT at 10:50 pm
- Destination: BTM Butte MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.