Cessna 421A N517S
4 February 1988 · Helena, Montana, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 4 February 1988 at about 03:00 local time, a Cessna 421A registered N517S, operated by Minuteman Aviation, was involved in an accident near Helena, Montana, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 03:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Helena, Montana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Helena Regional (HLN)
- Coordinates
- 46.5302, -112.2097
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421A
- Registration
- N517S
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Minuteman Aviation
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Missoula → Helena
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- DEN88FA063
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A NIGHT, ILS APP TO RWY 27 IN IMC. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A MOUNTAIN 12 NM ESE OF THE ARPT WHILE TURNING INBOUND TO INTERCEPT THE LOC COURSE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ONE VOR RECEIVER WAS SET ON THE DESTINATON ILS FREQ, THE SECOND VOR WAS SET ON AN EN ROUTE VOR 51 NM WEST OF THE DESTINATION ARPT, AND THE DME RADIO, A SEPARATE TRANSCEIVER, WAS SET ON THE DESTINATION DME TRANSMITTER. THE FREQS OF THE EN ROUTE VOR AND THE DESTINATION VOR WERE 117.1 AND 117.7, RESPECTIVELY. THE OUTBOUND COURSE FOR THE ILS APP PROCEDURE WAS 088 DEG AND THE ACDT SITE WAS LOCATED ON THE 088 RADIAL OF THE EN ROUTE VOR. INVESTIGATION ALSO REVEALED THAT THE PIC WAS OCCUPYING THE RT FRONT SEAT AND AN EXPERIENCED PLT WHO WAS NOT CURRENT IN THIS AIRCRAFT WAS OCCUPYING THE LEFT SEAT. THE SECOND VOR RECEIVER CONTROL HEAD WAS LOCATED IN THE LOWER RIGHT PORTION OF THE INST PANEL, IN A LOCATION WHERE THE SELECTED FREQ WAS DIFFICULT TO READ.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 421 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Feb 1988 | Cessna 421A | Wheeling, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1988 | Cessna 421 | Taunton, Massachusetts, United States | Vadala Management Corporation | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 Jun 1988 | Cessna 421B | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 May 1988 | Cessna 421C | Shaver Lake, California, United States | John D. MAC Donald | Fatal | 4 |
| 20 Sep 1988 | Cessna 421B | Winner, South Dakota, United States | Oltersdorf, Walter | No injuries | - |
| 16 Nov 1988 | Cessna 421 | Tooele, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 1988 | Cessna 210 | Billings, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 1988 | Cessna 180 | Roundup, Montana, United States | Miller, Mark D. | No injuries | - |
| 14 Feb 1988 | Piper J3C-65 | Circle, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Feb 1988 | Mooney M20E | Miles City, Montana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 1988 | Cessna 182P | Great Falls, Montana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 1988 | Cessna A-185F | Phillipsburg, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |