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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2009 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Butte, Montana · Bert Mooney Airport · cases near this 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 other cases naming the fuel system
- 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 other cases naming the instruments and avionics
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Passenger compartment equip › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the cabin, seats and restraints
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
78 documents, released by the NTSB on March 21, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N128CM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pilatus PC-12 1,445 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pilatus 403 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P & W Canada PT6A-67B · as the NTSB recorded it
- Bert Mooney Airport · nearest airport
- Oroville Municipal · departed from
- Bozeman Yellowstone International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,119 since 1982 · 164 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,044 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR09MA159.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.