Piper PA-24-260 accident near Winston, Montana, January 7, 1997
On January 7, 1997 at about 3:26 am local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N9080P, was destroyed in an accident near Winston, Montana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Pilot incapacitation due to hypoxia. Failure of the pilot to use available oxygen is a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 1997 · about 3:26 am local time
- Place
- Winston, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9080P · no longer on the register · serial 24-4550
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An ATC controller observed the night IFR flight with the 68-year old pilot deviating south of course then correcting back a little bit before deviating south again. The deviations were as much as 90 degrees, and altitude varied by about 14,400 feet MSL down to 14,000 feet MSL. Then, approximately 10 southeast of Helena, Montana, radar contact was lost in an area of normally good radar coverage. The airplane sustained an in-flight breakup before impacting in hilly terrain. The flight had been cleared to climb to 12,000 feet at 1936; at 2006 the controlller noted that 'I don't know where he's going...he's all over the place....' During on-scene investigation, it was determined that the portable oxygen bottle being carried in the airplane was not being used by the pilot. The pilot was known to fly at altitudes above 12,500 feet, and as high as 17,000 feet, without using oxygen. An autopsy of the pilot revealed atherosclerosis of coronary arteries with 90% stenosis of left anterior descending coronary artery and 90% stenosis of right coronary artery, as well as multiple blunt force injuries.
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: 2,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,776 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 21, 1996; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Dakota Ridge Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 2:08 am
- Destination: SFF Spokane WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from HLN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.