At Least 14 Passengers Dead In PC-12 Crash

Fred George

A 2001 Pilatus PC-12, S/N 403, registered to an Oregon holding company controlled by Irving Feldkamp, DDS of San Bernardino, CA, crashed 500 feet short of the Bert Mooney Airport at Butte, MT on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at about 2:36 PM MDT, killing at least 14 occupants. The single-engine aircraft is type certificated to carry a maximum of nine passengers. The aircraft left Oroville, CA at 11:10 AM PDT, bound for Bozeman, MT, a trip of about 596 nm. However, the pilot diverted to Butte, about 57 n.m. west-northwest of Bozeman.

The pilot apparently lost control of the aircraft just short of the Butte airport and crashed into a cemetery. A fire erupted, but it only burned for five to ten minutes, suggesting there wasn't much fuel aboard the aircraft, according to one experienced PC-12 broker with whom AWIN spoke. A PC-12 /45 can fly as far as 620 nm no-wind to tanks dry when carrying maximum payload, assuming it departs with 925 lb of fuel, the available fuel with maximum payload according to B&CA's 2001 Purchase Planning Handbook. However, the actual amount of fuel aboard the aircraft when it departed Oroville is unknown.

Dr. Feldkamp is an instrument-rated private pilot, but he was not on board the aircraft, according to the administrative department of Hospitality Dental Group.

File photo of PC-12--not the aircraft that crashed--from Avitya via Wikipedia