GREAT FALLS — The cause of the crash of a small plane into Hungry Horse Reservoir on November 18, 2023 has been released.
The plane was flying from Great Falls to Kalispell when it ran out of fuel.
The plane crashed into the water with two people on board - a 59-year old male pilot and a passenger.
Both were able to get out and swim to shore, and were taken to a hospital for minor injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report on October 10, 2024, and states that the cause of the crash was "fuel exhaustion."
From the NTSB report:
About four hours into the repositioning flight, and about six miles from his intended destination, the pilot contacted the tower controller and was informed that the airport was under instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions, and that he was not cleared to land. The pilot made the decision to maneuver to the southeast to ascertain whether they should return to their home airport or land at a nearby airport and wait for the weather to clear. Shortly after departing the area enroute to an alternate airport, the airplane lost engine power. The pilot promptly attempted to restart the engine; however, his efforts were unsuccessful. The pilot subsequently executed a forced landing into a lake resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage.
Damage to the Flight Design CT plane was described as "substantial."
The investigation determined the cause of the incident to be: "The pilot's inadequate fuel planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion."
(NOVEMBER 20, 2023) A small plane crashed on the shores of the Hungry Horse Reservoir on Saturday, November 18, 2023.
Flathead County Sheriff Brain Heino said that two people aboard the plane were traveling from Great Falls to Kalispell when they experienced low visibility.
After the crash landing, Heino says the two people were able to swim to shore where they were eventually located.
Flathead County Sheriff Brain Heino says a Two Bear Air helicopter was dispatched to the crash scene at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The two occupants of the plane were taken to Logan Health in Kalispell.
The nature and severity of their injuries has not been disclosed, nor have the names of the two people.
According to FlightAware, the plane took off from Great Falls International Airport at 7:32 a.m. and was last reported near Kalispell about four hours later.
The National Transportation Safety Board says that the “aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances” and that the injuries were minor.
Law enforcement officers and the Flathead County Dive Team plans to remove the plane from the water and work with the NTSB on the investigation.
We will update you if we get more information.
