NTSB Identification: WPR14FA231
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Sula, MT
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/15/2017
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G 21A, registration: N888GG
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The airline transport pilot was repositioning the airplane to an airport near the owner's summer home. The airplane was not maintained for instrument flight, and the pilot had diverted the day before the accident due to weather. On the day of the accident, the pilot departed for the destination, but returned shortly after due to weather. After waiting for the weather conditions to improve, the pilot departed again that afternoon, and refueled the airplane at an intermediate airport before continuing toward the destination. The route of flight followed a highway that traversed a mountain pass.
A witness located along the highway stated that he saw the accident airplane traveling northbound toward the mountain pass, below the overcast cloud layer. He also stated that the mountain pass was obscured, and he could see a thunderstorm developing toward the west, which was moving east toward the pass. A second witness, located near the accident site, saw the airplane descend vertically from the base of the clouds while spinning in a level attitude and impact the ground. The second witness reported that it was snowing and that the visibility was about ¼ mile at the time of the accident.
The airplane impacted terrain in a level attitude, and was consumed by a postcrash fire. Examination of the flight controls, airframe, and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of aircraft control upon encountering instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack and entered a flat spin at low altitude, resulting in an uncontrolled descent and impact with terrain.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's decision to continue flight into deteriorating weather conditions in an airplane not maintained for instrument flight, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
Michael Blume
Ravalli County Airport manager Page Gough listens into a discussion between National Transportation Safety Board investigator Larry Lewis and Federal Aviation Administration investigator Jeffrey Simmons at the scene of a fatal airplane crash in the Lost Trail Ski Area's parking lot. The fiery plane crash claimed the life of Michael Blume.
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration/Flight Standards District Office FSDO-05; Helena, Montana
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://grummangoosecentral.homestead.com
http://www.ipernity.com
http://registry.faa.gov/N888GG
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Sula, MT
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G 21A, registration: N888GG
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 17, 2014 about 1700 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G-21A airplane, N888GG, was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire in the parking lot of the Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area, about 13 miles south of Sula, Montana. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country positioning flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions (IFR) were reported in the area at the time of the accident, and the solo pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane departed Lemhi County Airport (KSMN), Salmon, Idaho, bound for Ravalli County Airport, Hamilton, Montana, about 1640.
During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 18, the owner of the airplane said that the airplane was being repositioned to the Ravalli County Airport for the summer. The airplane arrived at the Dillon Airport (KDLN), Dillon Montana on Monday, June 16, but was unable to continue to Hamilton due to weather. The owner said the pilot was told to remain in Dillon until the weather cleared. The pilot told the owner that he might fly to Salmon the following morning and check the weather along the highway to Hamilton. The owner asked the pilot to telephone him before he departed. The owner said he did not receive a telephone call from the pilot.
During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on June 18, a witness at the Dillon Airport said he had spoken with the pilot after he arrived. They talked about weather and routes. The witness said the following morning the airplane departed about 0830, but returned a short time later due to weather. He said the airplane remained in Dillon the rest of the day, and about 1630 the pilot said he'd probably be back in 30 minutes, and departed. The witness did not see the airplane again.
A Ravalli County Sheriff's representative told the IIC that he had spoken to a witness at the Lemhi County Airport who told him the airplane had stopped there, before departing northbound along highway 93 toward Hamilton.
A witness living along highway 93, about the 4,000 foot elevation, said he had seen the airplane northbound headed toward the mountain pass in the direction of Hamilton. The witness is a pilot and said he had flown the route many times. He said although the airplane was in VFR conditions under an overcast, and appeared to be at an altitude of about 6,500 feet when he saw it; the pass is higher, and appeared to be obscured. He further stated he could see what he thought was a thunderstorm developing to the west and moving east toward the pass.
The highway 93 mountain pass is just over 7,000 feet in elevation. Located at the summit are a visitor center and the base of operations for a ski area; including a lodge and parking lot.
An employee at the visitor center told the Sheriff's representative, and later the NTSB IIC, that the airplane arrived over her position at a very low altitude, just above the trees, and that it was snowing, and the visibility was about ¼ mile at the time. She said she saw the airplane "spin around" 6 to 7 times descending vertically before it impacted the ground in the parking lot of the ski area.
Upon impact, the airplane burst into flames, initial responders were not able to approach the wreckage due to the intense heat and flame.
On June 18, the NTSB IIC, accompanied by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspector, examined the airplane at the accident site.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot age 62, held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for Airplane Single Engine Land and Sea, Airplane Multi-Engine Land and Sea, Glider, Rotorcraft; Helicopter, Flight Instructor; Airplane Single-Engine and Multi-Engine, Instrument Airplane, and Ground Instructor; Advanced and Instrument.
The pilot received a First Class Medical Certificate on January 7, 2014, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses.
No personal flight records were discovered for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed was obtained from a review of the airman's FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center in Oklahoma City. On the pilot's last application for medical certificate, dated January 7, 2014, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 9,800 hours, of which he listed 150 hours had been accrued in the previous 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was a Grumman G21-A, N888GG, manufactured in 1944 and equipped with two Pratt and Whitney R-985-AN-14B engines.
No airframe or engine logbooks were discovered for examination, and were believed to have been onboard for the ferry flight, and consumed during the post-crash fire. The owner provided copies of maintenance records obtained from the maintenance facility that performed the last maintenance on the airplane.
According to maintenance facility records, both newly remanufactured engines had been installed on June 6, 2013 at an airframe total time of 6,323.8 hours. On March 6, 2014 with an airframe total time of 6,394.7 hours, the airplane underwent an extensive annual inspection. No major deficiencies were noted. The last known maintenance consisted of an oil change and minor adjustments and repairs completed on May 2, 2014, at a total airframe time of 6,434.4 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The accident site was located about 36 miles north of the departure airport and about 39 miles south of the destination airport at an elevation of about 7,000 feet.
Weather observations taken at the departure airport about the time of departure reported; visibility 10 miles, wind calm. Cloud heights were reported as Few at 4,200 feet, Broken at 6,500 feet, and overcast at 7,500 feet.
A pilot witness who was on the ground along the route of flight, observed the airplane northbound along the highway headed toward the highway summit, which he described as obscured from his vantage point. He further reported a thunderstorm to the east of his position moving toward the highway summit pass.
Witnesses at the accident location described the weather throughout the day as overcast with ragged ceilings. Visibility variable from better than one mile to obscured at the surface and snowing.
A witness photograph taken shortly after the impact, showed visibility less than one-quarter mile in snow and an indefinite ceiling.
No weather observations were available at the destination airport; however, the trend was reported as partly sunny in the morning becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon.
There is no record of the pilot having received an "official" weather briefing.
COMMUNICATIONS
After departure from the uncontrolled airport, no communications were heard from the accident airplane, and no air traffic control services were requested.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane impacted on the south end of a snow ski area, parking lot, about 7,000 feet in elevation. The ski area parking lot is adjacent to an interstate highway summit, highway rest area, and a visitor center, and the surrounding mountain peaks exceed 8,000 feet in height. Witnesses observed the airplane exit the base of the overcast clouds in what was described as a flat spinning, vertical descent. Upon impact, the airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire.
On June 18, 2014, the NTSB IIC accompanied by an FAA Air Safety Inspector examined the wreckage. Although burned by the postcrash fire, the nose, tail, and wingtips were readily identifiable.
The airplane appeared to have impacted in a level attitude. There was no evidence of forward, rearward, or sideways movement, after impact. Witnesses stated that wreckage parts and pieces scattered about the parking lot had been projectiles from several small explosions subsequent to the impact and postcrash fire.
All of the airplane's control surfaces (rudder, ailerons, etc.) were present and control continuity was established to the cockpit area. Continuity to the individual cockpit controls was not established due to the extensive fire damage.
Externally, the wing leading edge appeared straight from wingtip to wingtip, and perpendicular to the centerline of the fuselage. The lower portion of the fuselage frames showed upward crushing.
The two radial engines were appropriately located within the wreckage. Five of the six propeller blades (three per engine) had broken off at their respective propeller hub. One blade remained attached to the propeller hub on the right engine. All of the propeller blades examined showed extreme torsional twisting, tip curl, and S-bending. The exhaust manifolds of both the right and left engines were examined, and both showed plastic, hot metal, folding and bending. There was no further examination of the engines.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
A postmortem examination of the pilot was completed under the authority of the Forensic Science Division, Department of Justice, State of Montana, Missoula, Montana, on June 19, 2014. The examination revealed that the cause of death was attributed to blunt force injuries.
The FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, completed a toxicological examination on August 1, 2014. No toxicological anomalies were found.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Sula, MT
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G 21A, registration: N888GG
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 17, 2014 about 1700 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G-21A airplane, N888GG, was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire in the parking lot of the Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area, about 13 miles south of Sula, Montana. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country positioning flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions (IFR) were reported in the area at the time of the accident, and the solo pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane departed Lemhi County Airport (KSMN), Salmon, Idaho, bound for Ravalli County Airport, Hamilton, Montana, about 1640.
During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 18, the owner of the airplane said that the airplane was being repositioned to the Ravalli County Airport for the summer. The airplane arrived at the Dillon Airport (KDLN), Dillon Montana on Monday, June 16, but was unable to continue to Hamilton due to weather. The owner said the pilot was told to remain in Dillon until the weather cleared. The pilot told the owner that he might fly to Salmon the following morning and check the weather along the highway to Hamilton. The owner asked the pilot to telephone him before he departed. The owner said he did not receive a telephone call from the pilot.
During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on June 18, a witness at the Dillon Airport said he had spoken with the pilot after he arrived in Dillon. They talked about weather and routes. The witness said the following morning the airplane departed about 0830, but returned a short time later due to weather. He said the airplane remained in Dillon the rest of the day, and about 1630 the pilot said he'd probably be back in 30 minutes, and departed. The witness did not see the airplane again.
A Ravalli County Sheriff's representative told the IIC that he had spoken to a witness at the Lemhi County Airport who told him the airplane had stopped there, before departing northbound along highway 93 toward Hamilton.
A witness living along highway 93, about the 4,000 foot elevation level, said he had seen the airplane northbound headed toward the mountain pass in the direction of Hamilton. The witness is a pilot and said he had flown the route many times. He said although the airplane was in VFR conditions, and appeared to be at an altitude of about 6,500 feet when he saw it; the pass is higher, and appeared to be obscured. He further stated he could see what he thought was a thunderstorm developing to the west and moving east toward the pass.
The highway 93 mountain pass is just over 7,000 feet in elevation. Located at the summit are a visitor center and the base of operations for a ski area; including a lodge and parking lot.
An employee at the visitor center told the Sheriff's representative that the airplane arrived over her position at a very low altitude, just above the trees, and that it was snowing, and the visibility was about ¼ mile at the time. She said she saw the airplane "spin around" 6 to 7 times descending vertically before it impacted the ground in the parking lot of the ski area.
Upon impact, the airplane burst into flames, initial responders were not able to approach the wreckage due to the intense heat and flame.
On June 18, the airplane was examined at the accident site by the NTSB IIC, accompanied by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspector. The investigation is continuing.
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Sula, MT
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G 21A, registration: N888GG
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 17, 2014 about 1700 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G-21A airplane, N888GG, was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire in the parking lot of the Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area, about 13 miles south of Sula, Montana. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country positioning flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions (IFR) were reported in the area at the time of the accident, and the solo pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane departed Lemhi County Airport (KSMN), Salmon, Idaho, bound for Ravalli County Airport, Hamilton, Montana, about 1640.
During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 18, the owner of the airplane said that the airplane was being repositioned to the Ravalli County Airport for the summer. The airplane arrived at the Dillon Airport (KDLN), Dillon Montana on Monday, June 16, but was unable to continue to Hamilton due to weather. The owner said the pilot was told to remain in Dillon until the weather cleared. The pilot told the owner that he might fly to Salmon the following morning and check the weather along the highway to Hamilton. The owner asked the pilot to telephone him before he departed. The owner said he did not receive a telephone call from the pilot.
During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on June 18, a witness at the Dillon Airport said he had spoken with the pilot after he arrived in Dillon. They talked about weather and routes. The witness said the following morning the airplane departed about 0830, but returned a short time later due to weather. He said the airplane remained in Dillon the rest of the day, and about 1630 the pilot said he'd probably be back in 30 minutes, and departed. The witness did not see the airplane again.
A Ravalli County Sheriff's representative told the IIC that he had spoken to a witness at the Lemhi County Airport who told him the airplane had stopped there, before departing northbound along highway 93 toward Hamilton.
A witness living along highway 93, about the 4,000 foot elevation level, said he had seen the airplane northbound headed toward the mountain pass in the direction of Hamilton. The witness is a pilot and said he had flown the route many times. He said although the airplane was in VFR conditions, and appeared to be at an altitude of about 6,500 feet when he saw it; the pass is higher, and appeared to be obscured. He further stated he could see what he thought was a thunderstorm developing to the west and moving east toward the pass.
The highway 93 mountain pass is just over 7,000 feet in elevation. Located at the summit are a visitor center and the base of operations for a ski area; including a lodge and parking lot.
An employee at the visitor center told the Sheriff's representative that the airplane arrived over her position at a very low altitude, just above the trees, and that it was snowing, and the visibility was about ¼ mile at the time. She said she saw the airplane "spin around" 6 to 7 times descending vertically before it impacted the ground in the parking lot of the ski area.
Upon impact, the airplane burst into flames, initial responders were not able to approach the wreckage due to the intense heat and flame.
On June 18, the airplane was examined at the accident site by the NTSB IIC, accompanied by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspector. The investigation is continuing.
Michael Blume
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration/Flight Standards District Office
FSDO-05; Helena, MT
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Paul C. Ehlen: http://registry.faa.gov/N888GG
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Sula, MT
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G 21A, registration: N888GG
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 17, 2014 about 1700 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G-21A airplane, N888GG, was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire in the parking lot of the Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area, about 13 miles south of Sula, Montana. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country positioning flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions (IFR) were reported in the area at the time of the accident, and the solo pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane departed Lemhi County Airport (KSMN), Salmon, Idaho, bound for Ravalli County Airport, Hamilton, Montana, about 1640.
During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 18, the owner of the airplane said that the airplane was being repositioned to the Ravalli County Airport for the summer. The airplane arrived at the Dillon Airport (KDLN), Dillon Montana on Monday, June 16, but was unable to continue to Hamilton due to weather. The owner said the pilot was told to remain in Dillon until the weather cleared. The pilot told the owner that he might fly to Salmon the following morning and check the weather along the highway to Hamilton. The owner asked the pilot to telephone him before he departed. The owner said he did not receive a telephone call from the pilot.
During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on June 18, a witness at the Dillon Airport said he had spoken with the pilot after he arrived. They talked about weather and routes. The witness said the following morning the airplane departed about 0830, but returned a short time later due to weather. He said the airplane remained in Dillon the rest of the day, and about 1630 the pilot said he'd probably be back in 30 minutes, and departed. The witness did not see the airplane again.
A Ravalli County Sheriff's representative told the IIC that he had spoken to a witness at the Lemhi County Airport who told him the airplane had stopped there, before departing northbound along highway 93 toward Hamilton.
A witness living along highway 93, about the 4,000 foot elevation, said he had seen the airplane northbound headed toward the mountain pass in the direction of Hamilton. The witness is a pilot and said he had flown the route many times. He said although the airplane was in VFR conditions under an overcast, and appeared to be at an altitude of about 6,500 feet when he saw it; the pass is higher, and appeared to be obscured. He further stated he could see what he thought was a thunderstorm developing to the west and moving east toward the pass.
The highway 93 mountain pass is just over 7,000 feet in elevation. Located at the summit are a visitor center and the base of operations for a ski area; including a lodge and parking lot.
An employee at the visitor center told the Sheriff's representative, and later the NTSB IIC, that the airplane arrived over her position at a very low altitude, just above the trees, and that it was snowing, and the visibility was about ¼ mile at the time. She said she saw the airplane "spin around" 6 to 7 times descending vertically before it impacted the ground in the parking lot of the ski area.
Upon impact, the airplane burst into flames, initial responders were not able to approach the wreckage due to the intense heat and flame.
On June 18, the NTSB IIC, accompanied by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspector, examined the airplane at the accident site.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot age 62, held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for Airplane Single Engine Land and Sea, Airplane Multi-Engine Land and Sea, Glider, Rotorcraft; Helicopter, Flight Instructor; Airplane Single-Engine and Multi-Engine, Instrument Airplane, and Ground Instructor; Advanced and Instrument.
The pilot received a First Class Medical Certificate on January 7, 2014, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses.
No personal flight records were discovered for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed was obtained from a review of the airman's FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center in Oklahoma City. On the pilot's last application for medical certificate, dated January 7, 2014, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 9,800 hours, of which he listed 150 hours had been accrued in the previous 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was a Grumman G21-A, N888GG, manufactured in 1944 and equipped with two Pratt and Whitney R-985-AN-14B engines.
No airframe or engine logbooks were discovered for examination, and were believed to have been onboard for the ferry flight, and consumed during the post-crash fire. The owner provided copies of maintenance records obtained from the maintenance facility that performed the last maintenance on the airplane.
According to maintenance facility records, both newly remanufactured engines had been installed on June 6, 2013 at an airframe total time of 6,323.8 hours. On March 6, 2014 with an airframe total time of 6,394.7 hours, the airplane underwent an extensive annual inspection. No major deficiencies were noted. The last known maintenance consisted of an oil change and minor adjustments and repairs completed on May 2, 2014, at a total airframe time of 6,434.4 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The accident site was located about 36 miles north of the departure airport and about 39 miles south of the destination airport at an elevation of about 7,000 feet.
Weather observations taken at the departure airport about the time of departure reported; visibility 10 miles, wind calm. Cloud heights were reported as Few at 4,200 feet, Broken at 6,500 feet, and overcast at 7,500 feet.
A pilot witness who was on the ground along the route of flight, observed the airplane northbound along the highway headed toward the highway summit, which he described as obscured from his vantage point. He further reported a thunderstorm to the east of his position moving toward the highway summit pass.
Witnesses at the accident location described the weather throughout the day as overcast with ragged ceilings. Visibility variable from better than one mile to obscured at the surface and snowing.
A witness photograph taken shortly after the impact, showed visibility less than one-quarter mile in snow and an indefinite ceiling.
No weather observations were available at the destination airport; however, the trend was reported as partly sunny in the morning becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon.
There is no record of the pilot having received an "official" weather briefing.
COMMUNICATIONS
After departure from the uncontrolled airport, no communications were heard from the accident airplane, and no air traffic control services were requested.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane impacted on the south end of a snow ski area, parking lot, about 7,000 feet in elevation. The ski area parking lot is adjacent to an interstate highway summit, highway rest area, and a visitor center, and the surrounding mountain peaks exceed 8,000 feet in height. Witnesses observed the airplane exit the base of the overcast clouds in what was described as a flat spinning, vertical descent. Upon impact, the airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire.
On June 18, 2014, the NTSB IIC accompanied by an FAA Air Safety Inspector examined the wreckage. Although burned by the postcrash fire, the nose, tail, and wingtips were readily identifiable.
The airplane appeared to have impacted in a level attitude. There was no evidence of forward, rearward, or sideways movement, after impact. Witnesses stated that wreckage parts and pieces scattered about the parking lot had been projectiles from several small explosions subsequent to the impact and postcrash fire.
All of the airplane's control surfaces (rudder, ailerons, etc.) were present and control continuity was established to the cockpit area. Continuity to the individual cockpit controls was not established due to the extensive fire damage.
Externally, the wing leading edge appeared straight from wingtip to wingtip, and perpendicular to the centerline of the fuselage. The lower portion of the fuselage frames showed upward crushing.
The two radial engines were appropriately located within the wreckage. Five of the six propeller blades (three per engine) had broken off at their respective propeller hub. One blade remained attached to the propeller hub on the right engine. All of the propeller blades examined showed extreme torsional twisting, tip curl, and S-bending. The exhaust manifolds of both the right and left engines were examined, and both showed plastic, hot metal, folding and bending. There was no further examination of the engines.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
A postmortem examination of the pilot was completed under the authority of the Forensic Science Division, Department of Justice, State of Montana, Missoula, Montana, on June 19, 2014. The examination revealed that the cause of death was attributed to blunt force injuries.
The FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, completed a toxicological examination on August 1, 2014. No toxicological anomalies were found.
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA231
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Sula, MT
Aircraft: GRUMMAN G 21A, registration: N888GG
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 17, 2014 about 1700 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G-21A airplane, N888GG, was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire in the parking lot of the Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area, about 13 miles south of Sula, Montana. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country positioning flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions (IFR) were reported in the area at the time of the accident, and the solo pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane departed Lemhi County Airport (KSMN), Salmon, Idaho, bound for Ravalli County Airport, Hamilton, Montana, about 1640.
During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 18, the owner of the airplane said that the airplane was being repositioned to the Ravalli County Airport for the summer. The airplane arrived at the Dillon Airport (KDLN), Dillon Montana on Monday, June 16, but was unable to continue to Hamilton due to weather. The owner said the pilot was told to remain in Dillon until the weather cleared. The pilot told the owner that he might fly to Salmon the following morning and check the weather along the highway to Hamilton. The owner asked the pilot to telephone him before he departed. The owner said he did not receive a telephone call from the pilot.
During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on June 18, a witness at the Dillon Airport said he had spoken with the pilot after he arrived in Dillon. They talked about weather and routes. The witness said the following morning the airplane departed about 0830, but returned a short time later due to weather. He said the airplane remained in Dillon the rest of the day, and about 1630 the pilot said he'd probably be back in 30 minutes, and departed. The witness did not see the airplane again.
A Ravalli County Sheriff's representative told the IIC that he had spoken to a witness at the Lemhi County Airport who told him the airplane had stopped there, before departing northbound along highway 93 toward Hamilton.
A witness living along highway 93, about the 4,000 foot elevation level, said he had seen the airplane northbound headed toward the mountain pass in the direction of Hamilton. The witness is a pilot and said he had flown the route many times. He said although the airplane was in VFR conditions, and appeared to be at an altitude of about 6,500 feet when he saw it; the pass is higher, and appeared to be obscured. He further stated he could see what he thought was a thunderstorm developing to the west and moving east toward the pass.
The highway 93 mountain pass is just over 7,000 feet in elevation. Located at the summit are a visitor center and the base of operations for a ski area; including a lodge and parking lot.
An employee at the visitor center told the Sheriff's representative that the airplane arrived over her position at a very low altitude, just above the trees, and that it was snowing, and the visibility was about ¼ mile at the time. She said she saw the airplane "spin around" 6 to 7 times descending vertically before it impacted the ground in the parking lot of the ski area.
Upon impact, the airplane burst into flames, initial responders were not able to approach the wreckage due to the intense heat and flame.
On June 18, the airplane was examined at the accident site by the NTSB IIC, accompanied by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspector. The investigation is continuing.
Ravalli
County Airport manager Page Gough listens into a discussion between
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Larry Lewis and
Federal Aviation Administration investigator Jeffrey Simmons at the
scene of a fatal airplane crash in the Lost Trail Ski Area's parking
lot. The fiery crash claimed the life of the pilot of the antique
Grumman G-21 Goose airplane.
LOST TRAIL PASS – Scott and Sadie Grasser will never forget the sound an airplane makes when it crashes. Read more
Twin-engine plane crashes, burns at Lost Trail Pass
Michael Blume, 62, of Burnsville, Minn., was killed when the Grumman Goose aircraft he was piloting crashed into the parking lot of Lost Trail Power Mountain late Tuesday afternoon.
Blume was the only occupant of the aircraft. No one else was injured in the incident.
Blume was piloting the aircraft to the Ravalli County Airport in Hamilton. The aircraft left Dillon and had landed in Salmon, Idaho, prior to the accident.
NTSB and FAA officials are investigating the cause of the crash.
Source: http://missoulian.com
http://grummangoosecentral.homestead.com
http://www.ipernity.com
LOST TRAIL PASS – Scott and Sadie Grasser will never forget the sound an airplane makes when it crashes.
“It’s a very distinct noise,” Scott Grasser said Wednesday. “When you hear an airplane crash, you know exactly what’s happened.”
The couple had just finished hosting a woody biomass workshop at the lodge at Lost Trail Ski Area late Tuesday afternoon when they heard the sound of airplane coming in way too close to their building.
“And then there was this big crash and vibration,” Grasser said.
The couple ran outside and met one of their longtime employees running the opposite direction.
Aaron Hoffman of Salmon, Idaho, was in his car and just getting ready to pull out of the parking lot when 50 feet away the antique Grumman G-21 Goose amphibious aircraft literally fell from the sky and burst into flames when it hit the ground.
“It fell out of the sky right next to his car,” Grasser said. “By the time we got outside, there was literally nothing we could do. It was a huge ball of flame.”
Another witness told Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton the plane barely cleared the trees right behind the shop.
“When she first saw the plane, it was coming from the south,” Holton said. “It cleared the trees by just a few feet. She said it was spinning.”
As bad as the accident was, Grasser said it could have been much worse.
There were 60 people at the workshop through the Idaho governor’s Office of Energy and Sustainable Northwest.
Hoffman was the last to leave.
“I believe there were cars parked right in the spot where the plane crashed,” Grasser said. “People had only left 15 minutes to a half hour earlier. We were just very fortunate.”
“We believe that pilot did everything he could,” Grasser said. “I’m sure he knew he was in a horrible spot. He did what every honorable pilot would do and tried to save as many people as he could.”
“We are obviously very shook up over this,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the pilot’s family.”
*****
Seattle tourists Rick McGee and Julie Gomez had just reached the intersection of Highways 43 and 93 at Lost Trail Pass when the plane crashed.
“It had started to snow very hard when we saw the rest area,” McGee said. “We pulled in at the rest area and the lady at the info center was coming out. We could hear the plane, and she was pointing and circling her arm – she said, ‘It’s spinning, it’s spinning!’ ”
McGee and Gomez didn’t see the plane fall, but they did see the fireball as it exploded on impact behind the information building. There were several smaller explosions and pops after the initial blast.
“I’ve seen planes crash before, but I’ve never seen a plane go up so fast – so quick,” Gomez said. “It was continuous flames for four or five minutes.”
After learning that law enforcement and fire crews were on the way, McGee and Gomez resumed their road trip toward Missoula. They said the weather had been switching from rain to heavy snow to blue sky most of the day.
*****
The aircraft started its journey in Florida. Holton said the pilot took over in Minnesota and was shuttling it to Montana when the crash occurred.
Holton said the man’s wallet and identification were found in the burned wreckage.
The pilot’s name is being withheld pending confirmation of his identification and notification of the family.
The Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department was scheduled to arrive on scene Wednesday afternoon to gather the remains.
National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator Larry Lewis and Jeffrey Simmons, an investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration, were on site early Wednesday afternoon to begin determining the cause of the crash.
The burned-out structure was still emitting puffs of smoke as the men started to look over the scene.
Lewis said the airplane appeared to come straight down into the ground and there was no evidence that the pilot planned to land.
The landing gear was not deployed and the flaps were up.
“The aircraft wasn’t in landing configuration,” Lewis said.
Over the next few days, Lewis said he will talk with witnesses of the crash, look at maintenance records and the pilot’s background, and interview people at airports the pilot used to search for clues on the probable cause of the accident.
Lewis expected it would take between six months and a year before the final accident report was complete.
Lewis said the aircraft was an antique.
“It’s old school,” he said. “It was probably built in the late 1930s or early 40s. There’s not a lot of them left.“
Source: http://missoulian.com
The man's name has not been released.
But he was reportedly the only occupant of the twin engine plane.
Debris from the crash was still strewn across the ski area's parking lot Wednesday morning, hours after it crashed.
"We believe now he was an out of state pilot and was bringing the plane to the Hamilton Airport," said Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton.
The Sheriff's Department, the Hamilton Airport manager, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, arrived about noon Wednesday to begin the detailed job of documenting the crash.
The wreckage is in pieces.
NTSB air safety investigator Larry Lewis came from Washington to start his preliminary investigation.
"We're going to take a quick look around at the topography," said Lewis."We're going to talk to anybody we can find here when the accident occurred," he said. "We're going to survey the scene and photograph all the pieces and parts."
Investigators will see if all the major air frame components are still at the site.
Witnesses said they first saw the plane coming in from Idaho to the south, before it touched down in the parking lot.
They said "it was rotating in the air before it touched down," said Holton.
One witness said the plane dropped hard and flat, right out of the sky.
They said it looked like flames engulfed it immediately.
People were at Lost Trail for a meeting Tuesday afternoon.
"That had cleared about 30 minutes prior to the crash," said Holton, "and from what we understood the parking lot was full of cars at that point, but most of those had cleared out by the time the incident happened."
A pilot who owns a lodge about 12 air miles from Lost Trail said "atmospheric weather conditions Tuesday may not have been suitable for visual flying."
Tex Irwin owns Westfork Lodge, which has an airstrip.
Irwin was waiting for guests coming by plane on Tuesday.
He said one group coming south from the Plains and Thompson Falls area, were delayed because of weather.
Another group coming from the Challis, Salmon, Idaho area," said Irwin, reported bad weather.
"We were talking by telephone back and forth what their position down south was," said Irwin," and what ours was at the lodge. And they finally, which I think was wise, cancelled and diverted and went elsewhere.
Irwin said the weather was in flux Tuesday.
It was sunny, rainy, snowy, cloudy and overcast, he said. "Mountain weather,"he called it.
Weather is certainly a factor investigators will be looking at, but this investigation is just beginning.
http://www.nbcmontana.com
LOST TRAIL PASS — Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton announced on Wednesday morning that investigators have tentatively identified the aircraft and the pilot who perished in the airplane crash at Lost Trail Ski Area on Tuesday evening.
The pilot is believed to have been the only occupant of the twin-engine aircraft.
Holton, who is also the county’s chief deputy coroner, did not identify the aircraft and said that the pilot’s name is being withheld pending notification of the family.
Holton said that the aircraft burned very badly after it crashed just north of the ski lodge at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and that the only thing recognizable was the wing tips.
Holton said that two people witnessed the crash, and that nobody left after it hit the ground. One witness told authorities the airplane appeared to be spinning in the air before it came down flat in the parking lot.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash. Investigators arrived at the scene at noon Wednesday.
Seattle tourists Rick McGee and Julie Gomez had just reached the intersection of Highways 43 and 93 at Lost Trail Pass when the plane crashed.
“It had started to snow very hard when we saw the rest area,” McGee said. “We pulled in at the rest area and the lady at the info center was coming out. We could hear the plane, and she was pointing and circling her arm – she said, ‘It’s spinning, it’s spinning!' ”
McGee and Gomez didn’t see the plane fall, but they did see the fireball as it exploded on impact behind the information building. There were several smaller explosions and pops after the initial blast.
“I’ve seen planes crash before, but I’ve never seen a plane go up so fast – so quick,” Gomez said. “It was continuous flames for four or five minutes.”
After learning that law enforcement and fire crews were on the way, McGee and Gomez resumed their road trip toward Missoula. They said the weather had been switching from rain to heavy snow to blue sky most of the day.
“I hope it was just a pilot inside,” McGee said. “With a twin-engine plane like that, there could have been four or six people. Nobody could have survived that crash.”
Source: http://billingsgazette.com
The crashed plane at Lost Trail Pass is seen burning moments after hitting the ground in this photograph provided by Rick McGee, a traveler from Seattle, Washington who was in the area when the crash occurred.
This is the scene Wednesday morning of the site of Tuesday's plane crash in the parking lot at Lost Trail Pass.
(LOST TRAIL PASS)- Authorities say a twin engine float plane crashed and burned at the summit of Lost Trail Pass Tuesday evening. But the plane is so destroyed Ravalli County Sheriff's deputies aren't able to immediately identify the exact type of aircraft or how many people may have been on board.
Emergency crews were called to the pass on the Idaho-Montana border around 5:30 p.m. with report that a plane had crashed in the parking lot at the summit. But when they arrived on scene they found the plane had completely burned.
Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton tells MTN the plane was so damaged by the fire they've been unable to read the identifying registration numbers on the tail and say it appears to have been an amphibious aircraft. They've also been unable to tell how many victims may have died in the crash.
Holton says the Sheriff's Office is working with the FAA to try and identify the aircraft and where it may have been flying from and what its destination was. He expects FAA inspectors to arrive in the morning and start gathering initial data to determine the cause of the crash.
The wreckage is in the rest area parking lot so traffic on Highway 93 isn't effected.
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