Van's RV-7A N30SG

Summary

On 12 August 2025 at about 20:57 local time, a Van's RV-7A registered N30SG was involved in an accident near West Glacier, Montana, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

12 August 2025 at 20:57

Classification

Accident

Location

West Glacier, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Ryan Fld (2MT1)

Coordinates

48.4831, -113.9594

Aircraft

Van's RV-7A

Registration

N30SG

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25FA252

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On August 12, 2025, about 1457 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Vans RV-7A N30SG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near West Glacier, Montana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Multiple witnesses located at Ryan Field Airport (2MT1), West Glacier, Montana, reported that the airplane was attempting to land on runway 15. On the first attempt, the airplane bounced on the runway twice before the pilot initiated a go-around. During the go-around, the pilot radioed that the airplane's oil temperature was high, and he was going to fly around the area to cool the oil before attempting to land again. On the second attempt to land, the airplane bounced on the runway, and the pilot initiated another go-around. During the go-around, the right wing impacted a tree to the right of the runway. The airplane rolled inverted and impacted terrain in a nose down attitude. The witnesses reported that during the accident go around, the airplane appeared to be stable, and the engine was at high rpm and sounded normal. One of the witnesses recalled seeing the flaps extended during the climb out. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest in a near vertical attitude in a wooded area about 100 ft west of the runway centerline and about 1,720 ft from the approach end of runway 15. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a damaged tree about 245 ft north of the main wreckage and 75 ft west of the runway centerline. The airplane struck the tree about 55 ft above ground level. Downed sections of the damaged tree were located near the FIPC, one of which displayed impact scars with small fragments of composite fairing and the airplane’s transponder antenna. A review of the preliminary ADS-B data revealed that the flight departed from Kalispell City Airport (S27), Kalispell, Montana, about 1325 and flew toward 2MT1. Upon arrival near 2MT1, the airplane orbited the airfield multiple times. The flight track data ended about 1sm northwest of the airport. At that time, the airplane was on a northerly heading at an altitude of about 4,375 ft above mean sea level. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.