Aviat A 1 accident near Glendive, Montana, June 3, 2020
On June 3, 2020 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1997 Aviat A 1, registered N8QT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Glendive, Montana (Dawson Community 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 maintain airplane control during landing in gusting wind condition which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2020 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Glendive, Montana · Dawson Community · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A 1 Undesignat, built 1997
- Registration
- N8QT · registry record · serial 1378
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane was configured for landing on runway 30, and he intended to perform a three-point landing. He estimated that the wind was from 260° at 30 kts. When the airplane was about 1 ft above the runway surface, it encountered a microburst with a strong gust of wind which lifted the left wing. The pilot was unable to counteract the sudden attitude shift and the right wing drug on the ground. The pilot attempted to abort the landing as the left wing then impacted the ground, and the airplane became airborne shortly thereafter. The pilot remained in the airport traffic pattern and landed uneventfully. The left aileron was partially torn off as a result of the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 477 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 428 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 10, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 996 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 2019; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 1,030 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: XWA Williston ND at 8:00 pm
- Destination: GDV Glendive MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,704 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from KGDV
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.
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 WPR20CA166.