Maule MXT-7-180 accident near Winifred, Montana, June 23, 2024
On June 23, 2024 at about 2:50 pm local time, a 2001 Maule MXT-7-180, registered N5519C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Winifred, Montana (Heller Farm airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadvertent excessive application of brakes, which resulted in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2024 · about 2:50 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Winifred, Montana · Heller Farm · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule MXT-7-180, built 2001 · all MXT-7-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5519C · registry record · serial 14105C
- 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 he entered the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern and subsequently completed a normal approach to the runway. During the touchdown the airplane landed hard and bounced twice. After the second bounce, the pilot inadvertently applied brakes, and the airplane immediately nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder and wing struts. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that could 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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the landing gear
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 595 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 523 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 6, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 720 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1F (piston); 720 hours total
- Operator: Kukeeza LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 9S7 Winifred MT at 2:11 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11/2, 2,998 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 am from KLWT, 19 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLWT 231454Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 23/15 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP067 T02280150 58015=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 13, 2025. 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 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
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
- N5519C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule MXT-7 135 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1F 102 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Heller Farm Airport · nearest airport
- Winifred Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,041 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR24LA204.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.