Beech B100 accident near Miles City, Montana, January 4, 1996
On January 4, 1996 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Beech B100, registered N924WS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miles City, Montana (Frank Wiley Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of airport personnel to properly remove snow from the runway or issue an appropriate notam concerning the runway condition. Factors relating to the accident were: the low light condition at dawn, and the snowbank or berm that was left on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 1996 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Miles City, Montana · Frank Wiley Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech B100 · all B100s on the register
- Registration
- N924WS · no longer on the register · serial BE63
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilots obtained a complete weather briefing for their IFR flight. Before landing at their destination, they attempted to obtain an airport advisory on Unicom, but received no response. They landed on the runway in low visibility with the runway lights visible. After touchdown, the left main landing gear contacted a berm or snowbank on the left side of the plowed area, and the pilots were unable to maintain directional control. The aircraft drifted off the left side of the runway and came to rest on a reverse heading. The runway, which was 100 feet in width, had been plowed to about 45.5 feet width along the centerline. No notams had been filed concerning the partially plowed condition of the runway. The second officer (commercial pilot) noted that during the weather briefing, the pilot-in-comand had been advised of thin, loose snow on the runway.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,251 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 4,024 as pilot in command; 1,231 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,449 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 5, 1995; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,800 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 1:45 pm
- Destination: MLS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 5,580 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from MLS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.