Piper PA 18-150 accident near Ronan, Montana, December 16, 2014
On December 16, 2014 at about 11:20 pm local time, a 1965 Piper PA 18-150, registered N5989Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Ronan, Montana (Ronan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while performing an intentional, abrupt low-level maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2014 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Ronan, Montana · Ronan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 18-150 A150, built 1965 · all PA 18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N5989Z · no longer on the register · serial 18-8247
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal flight around the local area; the passenger had purchased the airplane about 6 weeks before the accident. After performing a series of low-level maneuvers, the pilot told the passenger that he saw a coyote, and he then performed a wingover maneuver. The airplane banked left, and the pilot pulled up. When the airplane was about 20 ft away from a hillside, the pilot stated that he did not think the airplane was going to clear the terrain. Shortly thereafter, the airplane struck the hillside. After the accident, the passenger reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The wreckage was located on a steep easterly facing hillside about 100 ft below the peak. Ground scar analysis, impact signatures, and wreckage fragmentation patterns revealed that the airplane impacted terrain in a left bank on about a 200-degree heading.
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
- Abrupt maneuver during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Unnecessary action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 2014; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S0 Ronan MT at 11:10 pm
- Destination: 7S0 Ronan MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KMSO, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.