Cessna 425 Conquest I, Belgrade, Mont., Nov. 29, 2005–The pilot of the Conquest was killed and the aircraft was destroyed when it crashed 2.8 nm northeast of Gallatin Field Airport. The airplane, registered to Tech II, of Springfield, Ohio, was on an IFR flight plan and had been cleared for the ILS Runway 12 approach.
The local sheriff’s office told the NTSB that the pilot had flown into the airport before but this was the first time he had done so in “bad” weather. The automated weather facility showed the weather deteriorating from 10 miles visibility and broken clouds at 7,000 feet to visibility three miles, overcast at 2,300 at the time of the accident, and later to visibility one-and-three-quarter miles with light snow and mist, overcast at 1,600 feet. The private pilot held multi-engine and instrument ratings. He had 1,987 hours, including 1,675 hours as pilot-in-command and 401 hours in a Cessna 425.