Veteran Flight Instructor Sparky Imeson was killed in a plane crash back in March of this year and on Wednesday, additional information about the investigation into the accident was released.
Federal investigators say Imeson's airplane that crashed near Townsend in March was flying too low. The National Transportation Safety Board says it found no mechanical issues with the aircraft and said the plane collided with trees before hitting the ground on March 17th.
The NTSB also stated in its report that Imeson used poor judgment in failing to maintain enough altitude.
Back in June of 2007, Imeson managed to walk away from a crash in the Elkhorns where he was instructing a pilot, who also survived.
Friends said Imeson was trying to photograph the site where he had survived a plane crash two years earlier when the March accident happened.
(from September 2, 2009) Carbon monoxide poisoning has been ruled out as a contributing factor in the March plane crash that killed veteran Helena flight instructor Sparky Imeson, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB concluded its investigation and could release the probable cause of the March 17 crash this month.
Imeson, 64, had taken off from Bozeman and was returning to Helena when his plane disappeared from radar, prompting a two-day search. The wreckage was found near the Canyon Ferry airstrip.
While the NTSB has yet to name the most likely cause of the crash, it has released a report detailing the condition of Imeson's plane and the pilot's toxicology information.
It says that "carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles and drugs were tested, and had negative results." It also states that Imeson died of 'blunt force injuries.' "
Some veteran pilots who knew him best had suggested he may have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning before crashing.
An initial report that was issued a week after the crash confirmed suspicions that no flight plan was filed for the personal trip.
According to the preliminary report, the weather conditions in the area allowed sufficient visibility for the pilot to fly the plane by vision alone.
The report also outlined an account from a witness who reported seeing a high-wing airplane flying an estimated 20 to 30 feet above the ground and traveling at high speeds. The witness added that the airplane was low enough to spook a herd of elk near the flight path.
The witness further reported seeing the plane pitch upwards and to the left, making a 180-degree turn near the Kelly Gulch area and then head south.
Imeson was a flight instructor and the author of several flying books. He had previously received the state's Flight Safety Award. He was a native of Jackson, Wyo.
(from the archives) Efforts to find a single-engine airplane that went missing during a flight from Bozeman to Helena are being focused in the Elkhorn Mountains Thursday after a rancher reporting seeing a white aircraft between 2:30 and 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The search for the Cessna 180 resumed Thursday morning.
The plane, piloted by Sparky Imeson, the owner of Mountain Flying, left Bozeman at 2:11 p.m. Tuesday and fell off the radar at 2:23 p.m. about 18 miles northwest of the city. A cellular tower in the area picked up a signal from Imeson's phone shortly after the plane dropped off Bozeman radar.
Aviation Support Officer Mike Rogan said someone tried to call Imeson, but there was no answer.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said his office is assisting with the air search and that they have also filed a missing persons report on Imeson.
Nearly two years ago, Imeson survived a plane crash in the Elkhorn Mountains southeast of Helena.
He and fellow pilot J.C. Kantorowicz, both from Great Falls, were participating in a mountain-safety flying clinic in 2007 when their plane crashed. Both men survived, and later said the crash would not stop them from flying again.
Imeson was seriously hurt in the crash, but had a cell phone and started hiking to find reception.
The two spent more than 24 hours in the wilderness before being spotted by search teams; once rescued, they were taken to St. Peter's hospital in Helena for treatment.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined it was the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude in a canyon that led to a stall and the subsequent crash.
An air search will continue Thursday for a missing plane that was bound for Helena.
The plane which is registered to Mountain Flying, LLC, left Bozeman just after 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and was scheduled to arrive in Helena an hour later.
The Montana Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division searched for the plane with two helicopters and one plane, and at times three aircraft from Bozeman have also searched for the plane.
We do know that the single engine Cessna dropped off radar approximately 18 miles northwest of Bozeman.
The plane was piloted by Sparky Imeson, the owner of Mountain Flying, and a cellular tower in the area picked up a signal from Imeson's phone shortly after the plane dropped off Bozeman radar.
Aviation Support Officer Mike Rogan says someone tried to call Imeson, but there was no answer.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton told us that his office is assisting with the air search and that they have also filed a missing persons report on Imeson.
Nearly two years ago, Imeson survived a plane crash in the Elkhorn Mountains southeast of Helena.
He and fellow pilot J.C. Kantorowicz, both from Great Falls, were participating in a mountain-safety flying clinic back in 2007 when their plane crashed. Both men survived, and later told Montana's News Station that the crash would not stop them from flying again.
Imeson was seriously hurt in the crash, but had a cell phone and started hiking to find reception.
The two spent more than 24 hours in the wilderness before being spotted by search teams; once rescued, they were taken to St. Peter's hospital in Helena for treatment.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined it was the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude in a canyon that led to a stall and the subsequent crash.
(from March 18, 2009) A plane registered to a Helena company, Mountain Flying, has been reported missing.
The plane left Bozeman on Tuesday shortly after 2:00 in the afternoon; it was scheduled to arrive in Helena an hour later. The single-engine Cessna dropped off radar approximately 18 miles northwest of Bozeman.
The plane was piloted by Sparky Imeson, the owner of Mountain Flying.
The Montana Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division is actively searching for the plane with two helicopters and a plane, and at times three aircraft from Bozeman have also searched for the plane.
Lewis & Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said, "There is no ground search at this time. We are helping with the air search. We're concentrating on the airway between Helena and Bozeman."
Jim Lynch, the director of the Montana Department of Transportation, said, "We're still out there searching right now. Three aircraft have returned. I believe we have two helicopters and one aircraft still in the air looking, and we'll just have to evaluate the search efforts at that point to determine what will be the next step."
MT DOT aeronautics administrator Debbie Alke explained, "For tonight we will debrief with the crews when they get back in, assess their schedule, and we'll go from there, but we will have crews ready to go at daylight in the morning."
Dutton stated that the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's office has filed a missing persons report on Imeson.
