Amateur-built WAYNCRAFT 14 accident near Libby, Montana, June 6, 1999
On June 6, 1999 at about 3:00 pm local time, a amateur-built WAYNCRAFT 14, registered N58WS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Libby, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Collision with terrain for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1999 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Libby, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WAYNCRAFT 14 WAYNCRAFT
- Registration
- N58WS · registry record · serial 101
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane went missing on a flight from the airport where an amphibious float installation had just been performed. Its wreckage was located several hours after departure at the 6,100-foot level on a snow-covered ridge in a National Forest wilderness area, 11 nautical miles from the departure airport. The pilot was found dead at the accident scene. Recovery personnel reported that the airplane appeared to have struck trees and impacted going down a 32-degree slope, where it impacted a tree stump in a depression. The recovery crew also reported that all aircraft components were found within about 20 feet of the main wreckage, that there was no evidence of fire, that search-and-rescue personnel (the first persons to reach the site) had reported a strong fuel smell, and that the airplane had good flight control continuity 'as best as could be determined.' Post-accident examinations of the airplane's engine and fuel injection servo disclosed evidence of non-compliance with various FAA Airworthiness Directives and manufacturer's service bulletins, but no clear evidence of any mechanical anomalies or malfunctions. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at a weather observation station 59 nautical miles away from the site during the accident time frame.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 177 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 5, 1999; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S59 Libby MT at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 232° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from FCA, 59 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.