Cessna 310R N87338

Summary

On 27 January 2000 at about 15:36 local time, a Cessna 310R registered N87338 was involved in an accident near Columbia Falls, Montana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 January 2000 at 15:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbia Falls, Montana, United States

Coordinates

48.4108, -114.1491

Aircraft

Cessna 310R

Registration

N87338

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Great Falls → Kalispell

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00LA040

1 person was seriously injured.

Failure of the pilot-in-command to follow the prescribed instrument approach missed approach procedure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he had been cleared for and had flown the VOR runway 30 approach. Upon his arrival at the missed approach point, he did not have the runway or the airport environment in sight. He said he had heard that an aircraft that had preceded him to the airport had reported the weather to be better to the south and west of the airport, and had reported seeing the airport from the west side of the airport. The pilot stated that after he arrived at the missed approach point and did not have the runway or airport environment in sight, he continued to the west side of the airport and made a left turn, for a 'downwind for runway 02,' saying he intended to use the localizer frequency to help him find the runway. He then tuned the number one navigation receiver to the localizer frequency for the ILS runway 02 approach. He said he thought a left turn would align the aircraft with runway 02 and, if he did not see the runway, the left turn would place him back near the missed approach point and he would begin the missed approach from that point. The pilot told FAA inspectors that he did not acquire the runway or airport environment visually. He said the number two navigation receiver was tuned to the VOR frequency. He said he did not remember centering the CDI 9course deviation indicator) for navigation to the VOR for the missed approach, nor does he remember the localizer needle (navigation receiver number one) being centered. He offered no explanation as to how the aircraft wound up about eight miles north of the airport on the mountainside.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.