Piper PA-24-250 accident near Plentywood, Montana, June 9, 1999
On June 9, 1999 at about 5:58 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5309P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plentywood, Montana (Plentywood airport). 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 ensure that the landing gear were properly down and locked for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 1999 · about 5:58 pm local time
- Place
- Plentywood, Montana · Plentywood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5309P · registry record · serial 24-350
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported it took three landing gear extension attempts to obtain a gear-down indication. The landing was onto a turf runway. He stated that when 'I thought I heard the mains touch, I eased the nose forward to pin it down and then the airplane was stopping awful fast and then the propeller stopped horizontally and it was bent back.' He reported that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident, and recommended 'double check[ing] gear handle & gear light' as a way to prevent the accident. An individual who responded to the airport to 'help extend the gear' after the accident stated that when he looked under the aircraft, 'the main gear was out of the gear well and the gear doors were out about an inch.' This individual further stated that when he removed packed mud and dirt from the nose wheel well, all three gear fell into the down and locked position. The aircraft owner's manual landing check list directs pilots to check landing gear down by ensuring the green gear-down indicator light is on, the gear warning horn is off, and the gear emergency handle is in forward position.
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
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,169 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 1998; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWD Plentywood MT at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 1,995 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.