Cessna T-50 accident near Missoula, Montana, September 27, 1998
On September 27, 1998 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Cessna T-50, registered N6HS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Missoula, 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
A quick drain was open due to the pilot's inadequate preflight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1998 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Missoula, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T-50 · all T-50s on the register
- Registration
- N6HS · registry record · serial 3696
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, the right engine lost power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and landed the airplane in an open field. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a fence. Witnesses reported that fuel was observed flowing from the right engine lower nacelle as the pilot was starting the engines in preparation for taxi and departure. One witness approached the aircraft and told the pilot of this situation. The pilot disregarded this information and proceeded to start the right engine and taxi to the runway. After the accident, fuel was observed flowing from the right engine. A fireman opened the access panel and found that the gascolator quick drain was locked in the open position. The fireman turned the mechanism 90 degrees and the drain sprang shut. The fuel flow then stopped.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 36,180 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 35,500 as pilot in command; 895 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,011 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1998; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,700 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Jacobs R755-9 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: COE Coeur D'Alene ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.