Pilatus PC-12/45 accident near Butte, Montana, March 22, 2009
On March 22, 2009 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Pilatus PC-12/45, registered N128CM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Butte, Montana (Bert Mooney Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 14 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
(1) the pilot's failure to ensure that a fuel system icing inhibitor was added to the fuel before the flights on the day of the accident; (2) his failure to take appropriate remedial actions after a low fuel pressure state (resulting from icing within the fuel system) and a lateral fuel imbalance developed, including diverting to a suitable airport before the fuel imbalance became extreme; and (3) a loss of control while the pilot was maneuvering the left wing-heavy airplane near the approach end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2009 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Butte, Montana · Bert Mooney Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 14 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pilatus PC-12/45 · all PC-12/45s on the register
- Registration
- N128CM · registry record · serial 403
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/reports_aviation.html. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-11-05. On March 22, 2009, about 1432 mountain daylight time, a Pilatus PC-12/45, N128CM, was diverting to Bert Mooney Airport (BTM), Butte, Montana, when it crashed about 2,100 feet west of runway 33 at BTM. The pilot and the 13 airplane passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The airplane was owned by Eagle Cap Leasing of Enterprise, Oregon, and was operating as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed Oroville Municipal Airport, Oroville, California, on an instrument flight rules flight plan with a destination of Gallatin Field, Bozeman, Montana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft servicing event during prior to flight
- Fuel related during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel additive › Not specified
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Placards and markings › (general) › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Indicating/recording systems › (general) › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Passenger compartment equip › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,840 hours in all; 1,759 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 418 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 9, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,815 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 9, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 9,921 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P & W Canada PT6A-67B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Eagle Cap Leasing, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: KOVE Oroville CA at 7:10 pm
- Destination: KBZN Bozeman MT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 9,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KBTM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 13 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR09MA159.