Cessna T210L accident near Dillon, Montana, March 23, 1997
On March 23, 1997 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna T210L, registered N22219, was destroyed in an accident near Dillon, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
flight by the pilot into adverse weather conditions, and his failure to maintaint altitude/clearance from terrain. The adverse weather condition 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
- March 23, 1997 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dillon, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N22219 · no longer on the register · serial 210-59723
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with terrain at high airspeed, & wreckage was distributed about 380 ft from the 1st impact mark. Weather in the area was described as broken showers & squalls. During on-scene investigation, no pre-crash mechanical discrepancy was noted. No eye-witnesses were found, but a person reported hearing an airplane in the vicinity at about the time of the accident. This witness was on top of a mountain 24 miles northwest of the accident site. He heard an airplane that he was believed was heading south. The witness observed that the weather in the vicinity was cloud covered, and the top of nearby Clark Canyon could not be seen. Also, the witness reported that the weather was very windy, with large clouds moving by all day. The visibility was reported to be good at times, but within minutes visibility could become obscured. Radar data indicated that a radar target with a VFR transponder code and no altitude encoder response was on a southwesterly heading in the vicinity, around the time of the accident. The last radar response on that target was at 1248:57, about 10 miles north of the accident site. The accident site was covered with snow that obscured distinguishing vegetation, rocks, or other characteristics on the surface.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,244 hours in all; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-HCR (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZM Bozeman MT at 7:17 pm
- Destination: ELY Ely NV
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from KBT, 70 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.