Accidents
NTSB solves PC-12 crash puzzle
The NTSB coupled old-fashioned “kicking tin” with highly technical investigative assistance from safety agencies in Germany and Switzerland to solve a perp

The NTSB coupled old-fashioned “kicking tin” with highly technical investigative assistance from safety agencies in Germany and Switzerland to solve a perplexing mystery–what caused a Pilatus PC-12 to crash while attempting to land at the airport in Butte, Mont., killing everyone on board the big turboprop single.

The flight had departed Oroville (Calif.) Municipal Airport on March 22, 2009, en route to Gallatin Field in Bozeman, Mont., but diverted to Butte for unknown reasons. The pilot and all 13 passengers (six adults and seven children) were killed and the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire.