Piper PA-18-150 N4644Y

Summary

On 6 January 2025 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N4644Y, operated by State of Montana, was involved in an accident near Red Rock, Montana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 January 2025 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Red Rock, Montana, United States

Coordinates

44.8829, -112.7130

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N4644Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

State of Montana

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dillon, MT → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA074

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in an impact with deep snow and vegetation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of a tail wheel equipped airplane reported that due to carburetor icing he was forced to land on a mountain ridge. After clearing snow and sagebrush to make a runway, the pilot attempted to depart, but during the takeoff roll the airplane veered right into deep snow and sagebrush. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing struts, rudder and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.