Cessna 172N accident near Laurel, Montana, October 19, 1995
On October 19, 1995 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6477D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Laurel, Montana (Laurel Municipal 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 student pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in inadequate altitude/clearance from hangar buildings and a subsequent emergency landing, while attempting to evade a flock of geese. The flock of geese was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 1995 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Laurel, Montana · Laurel Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6477D · no longer on the register · serial 17272825
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a touch-and-go landing, the student pilot made an evasive maneuver on final approach to avoid a collision with a flock of geese. After a left turn toward a row of hangars, he determined that he would not be able to clear the hangars, so he reduced power and landed. During the rollout, the nose landing gear contacted a concrete block in a burrow pit next to the taxiway, and the airplane nosed over.
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: 79 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT
- Destination: 6S8
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,775 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from BIL
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.