Accident: Piper PA32R - 301
Mar 26, 2015 · Townsend, MT
NTSB numberWPR15FA135Event id20150326X93558
- 1
- Fatalities
- 1
- Serious injuries
- 0
- Minor injuries
- 0
- Uninjured
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to depart on and to continue a visual flight rules flight over mountainous terrain into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent instrument flight experience, which exacerbated his difficulty in maintaining control of the airplane while encountering downdrafts and mountain obscuration conditions.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board. Record last changed Oct 28, 2026, 10:54 UTC.
Aircraft involved
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32R - 301
- Registration
- C-GAUS
- Year built
- 2001
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rules
- Part 91: general aviation
- Defining event
- Enroute-change of cruise level VFR encounter with IMC
Source: National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident database. Counts only; Voydar holds no names.
This page restates the NTSB's public record. Injury figures are counts; Voydar does not hold or publish the names of anyone involved.