N634MA

On April 28, 2007, at 1105 mountain daylight time, a Britten-Noman BN-2A-20, N634MA, experienced a gear collapse during an engine-out forced landing about two miles south of Ravalli County Airport, Hamilton, Montana. The airline transport pilot, who was the sole occupant, received minor injuries, and the aircraft, which is operated by McCall Aviation, McCall, Idaho, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 135 cargo flight was departing for Selway Lodge, Idaho, and was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. The aircraft was on a company VFR flight plan, and there was no report of an ELT activation.

According to the pilot, during the initial climb after takeoff, as he was passing 400 feet above ground level (agl), he shut off the fuel boost pumps in preparation for the en route climb. Soon thereafter, one of the engines quit without warning, and because he was carrying a heavy load, he immediately feathered the propeller and started looking for a place to put the aircraft down. Because there was rising terrain and scattered houses south of the airport, he had to maneuver to get to an open area. During the forced landing on the uneven terrain, one of the landing gear legs collapsed, and the aircraft impacted the terrain and then slid into a power poll.

A post-accident teardown inspection of the engine and the aircraft systems did not reveal any anomalies that would have resulted in the failure of the engine that lost power.