What Went Wrong?

Monday, June 20, 2022 at 06:33 PM ET

Verified

The sectional chart excerpt at left depicts the three routes relevant to this flight’s outcome. In black is the direct route between Billings and Powell. Orange depicts the original plan. The pink route is the one estimated to have actually been flown, until the airplane collided with terrain about two-thirds of the way toward the destination.

Key Takeaways:

An 18-year-old pilot crashed his aircraft during a solo night cross-country flight, attributed to a chain of errors including deviating from his flight plan, misprogramming his GPS, and losing situational awareness while flying VFR into IMC in mountainous terrain.
The pilot's survival was directly linked to skills learned weeks earlier at a winter survival clinic, enabling him to effectively use onboard emergency gear and stay warm overnight despite being inadequately dressed for the conditions.
Key lessons from the incident highlight the critical importance of strictly adhering to flight plans, correctly utilizing navigation technology, maintaining unwavering situational awareness, and always being prepared with appropriate clothing and survival gear for potential emergencies.

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Every year, the Montana Department of Transportation Aviation Division offers its well-attended and comprehensive Surratt Memorial Winter Survival Clinic. Just about every pilot who has attended raves about the experience, and, thankfully, the majority in attendance will never have to apply the survival skills outlined at the clinic. Little did one pilot know that only weeks after his attendance at the clinic would he be neck-deep in snow, fighting for his life.

It was a crisp, late March evening in Billings, Mont., when the 18-year-old pilot intended to knock out some solo cross-country and night requirements for his commercial pilot certificate. He planned to head south to Powell, Wyo., about 60 nm south-southwest of Billings, and return. The pilot thought he might even be able to squeeze in some night landings once back at Billings.