Piper PA42 accident near Lewistown, Montana, December 13, 2022
On December 13, 2022 at about 10:06 am local time, a 1984 Piper PA42, registered CGZPU, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lewistown, Montana (Lewiston Municipal Airport). It was a business flight under non-U.S. commercial rules. No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the out of service visual glideslope indicator and snow obscuring the runway markings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 2022 · about 10:06 am local time
- Place
- Lewistown, Montana · Lewiston Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA42 1000, built 1984 · all PA42s on the register
- Registration
- CGZPU · no longer on the register · serial 42-5527011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew reported that, the instrument approach was flown on autopilot to about 700 ft above ground level until the runway was visually in sight. They were 300 ft off the runway centerline, and 1 nautical mile from the runway threshold. The visual glideslope indicator was inoperative, and the runway markings were obscured due to dry light snow. The airplane subsequently landed hard on the unusable portion of the runway, about 800 ft short of the landing threshold, and the left mail landing gear tire blew, causing the propellor to strike the runway. The airplane veered off the runway substantially damaging the left wing. The pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Approach aid coverage/avail › Visual approach aid › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Snow › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 25,500 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 24,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 446 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 324 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 6, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,172 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 29, 2022; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,050 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TPE331-14A-80 (turboprop); 6,596 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TPE331-14B-80 (turboprop); 6,596 hours total
- Operator: Babin Air
The flight
- Departed from: KGTF Great Falls MT at 9:42 am
- Destination: KLWT Lewistown MT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 6,100 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 10:02 am from KLWT
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KLWT 131702Z AUTO 10003KT 1 1/2SM BR OVC004 M10/M12 A2997 RMK AO2 T11001117=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 2, 2023. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.