Forney F-1 accident near Bozeman, Montana, August 25, 1996
On August 25, 1996 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Forney F-1, registered N7551C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bozeman, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to adequately service the engine with oil before flight, which resulted in a loss of oil pressure and a subsequent forced landing. The high vegetation and embankment at the forced landing site were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1996 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Bozeman, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Forney F-1 · all F-1s on the register
- Registration
- N7551C · registry record · serial 5668
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot shut down the engine and made a forced landing on a dirt road after losing oil pressure in cruise flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it contacted sage brush, which forced it off the right side of the road and down an embankment. According to the pilot, the dip stick indicated the airplane had 2.3 quarts of oil remaining after the forced landing. The pilot noted that after the airplane was recovered, the dip stick indicated 1.5 quarts. He had departed on the flight with the dip stick indicating 2.4 quarts of oil in a system that he believed to have 4.25 quarts capacity. Type Certificate Data Sheet information stated that the oil capacity was 5 quarts on this installation. Two quarts was considered to be minimum operating oil supply.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,854 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 2,610 as pilot in command; 761 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,753 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1996; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8U8 Townsend MT at 9:00 pm
- Destination: BZN MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.