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Single Engine Turboprop Airplane Crashes in Butte, MT
Posted on Mar 24, 2009
A single-engine turboprop airplane crashed sort of the runway in Butte, Montana, killing all seven adults and seven children aboard. Witness reports and the absence of other factors may suggest the crash of the Pilatus PC-12 was the result of a low-level stall and resulting spin. Low level stalls are one of the most common reasons airplanes crash near airports.
The Mountain Standard reported that, "The aircraft had departed from Oroville, Calif., and the pilot had filed a flight plan showing a destination of Bozeman, about 80 miles east of Butte. But the pilot canceled his flight plan at some point and headed for Butte." There was not a distress call from the pilot and the plane did not have a "black box" flight data recorder nor was there a cockpit voice recorder or on the aircraft.
The National Weather Service's information available suggests that it was partly cloudy, the visibility was 10 miles and winds were blowing from the northwest around 10 mph at the time of the crash.
The PC-12, was described by several witnesses as "nose-diving" into a cemetery while on short final for Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Montana. Although there was reportedly the potential for icing in a cloud deck at 1,500, the PC-12 is certified for known icing. The ground temperature at the time of the crash was 45 degrees when the accident occurred.
AVweb.com reports "Without knowing the baggage load on the aircraft (it was a ski trip) there is nevertheless less emphasis on the possibility of overloading since half the occupants were under 10 years old and some were babies and toddlers, the children of six adults on board who were university classmates and some of whom were part owners of the aircraft."
The Mountain Standard indicated that three families were on their way to a ski vacation at Big Sky Resort and their original destination was Bozeman, Montana, which is closer to the resort. The pilot diverted to Butte but the reason for the diversion is unknown at this time.
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