Bozeman News

14 Confirmed Dead

Butte Plane Crash Victims Were Headed for Ski Vacation

By Jonathan Weber , 3-23-09

Update, March 23: Investigators continue to look at a variety of issues in the crash, including the pilot’s decision to divert from Bozeman to Butte and the possibility of icing on the wings, according to the Associated Press. Federal authorities also said their had been 15 crashes involving the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft since 2001, though it was not clear how that figure compared with other private aircraft.

Three California families and a pilot, headed for a family ski vacation at the Yellowstone Club near Big Sky, were killed Sunday when their single-engine private plane crashed into a cemetery near the Butte airport.

On board was Brent Ching, the son of Yellowstone Club members Bob and Phyllis Ching, and his wife Kristen and their two small children, Hayley, 5, and Caleb, 4, according to multiple sources who asked not to be identified. Also among the victims were the Jacobson family, of St. Helena, California, according to a report in the Napa Valley Register. The Register reported late last night that “Dr. Erin Jacobson, his wife, Amy, and their children Taylor, 4, Ava, 3, and Jude, 2, were en route to Bozeman to visit friends and family.” The Chings and the Jacobsons were joined by Amy Jacobson’s sister Vanessa Pullen and her husband Michael of Lodi, Calif., and their children, 9-year-old Sydney and 7-year-old Christopher, according to a family member who spoke today with the Associated Press.

While initial reports said 17 people were killed in the crash Sunday afternoon, authorities later said the number was 14. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman confirmed Monday that seven adults and seven children had died in the crash.

The Pilatus PC-12 aircraft left Oroville, California Sunday morning and at some point, the pilot changed his flight plan to land in Butte, instead of Bozeman. The NTSB said communications with ground controllers in Butte gave no indication as to why the pilot had diverted to Butte.

The crash is under investigation, and because the private plane lacked a “black box” flight data recorder a full investigation is expected to take some time.

Preliminary speculation focused on possible overloading of the aircraft, which the NTSB spokesman said is normally rated for 11 people. He cautioned, though, that the specific configuration of the plane was not known.

Butte sits at an elevation of about 5,500 feet - and high altitude reduces the lift of an aircraft, which in turn reduces the weight it can carry. A witness told the Montana Standard in Butte that the plane was making a sharp turn before going into a nose dive into the Holy Cross Cemetery near the airport.

The eyewitness accounts were consistent with a stall, a situation in which the airplane doesn’t have enough speed to enable the wings to do their job and keep the plane aloft. At landing, planes need to slow down substantially, but of course they must remain above stall speed, which varies according to on-board weight, altitude and other factors.

Friends of the Ching’s at the Yellowstone Club were in mourning Monday, describing the family as delightful and well-liked among club members.

NTSB officials will hold a press conference in Butte this afternoon.

Updated at 5:00 p.m. MDT on Monday.

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