Plane Diverted From Bozeman, Says FAA's Fergus

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 03.22.09 1900 EDT (UPDATED 2130 EDT:) The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed late Sunday it was a Pilatus PC-12/45 that impacted a cemetery adjacent to Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, MT. Multiple fatalities have been reported, though an exact number remained unclear.

The Board has dispatched a Go Team, that is expected to arrive on scene Sunday night.

The accident aircraft, N128CM, was manufactured in 2001 and is registered to an Oregon-based leasing corporation. The accident occurred at approximately 3:00 pm MDT.

Original Report

1900 EDT: There are conflicting reports of as many as 17 casualties following a Sunday afternoon downing of an aircraft near Butte, MT.

Early media reports identified the accident plane as a Pilatus PC-12 registered to Eagle Cap Leasing of Oregon. Other reports initially stated the aircraft was a twin-engine plane.

The PC-12 impacted on the grounds of Holy Cross Cemetery, located at the southwest quadrant of Bert Mooney Airport (BTM) in Butte. The cemetery is adjacent to both runways 15/33 and 11/29 at the airport.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus told The Montana Standard the plane departed Oroville, CA on an IFR flight plan to Bozeman Sunday morning. Fergus said the pilot opted to divert to Butte for as-yet-undetermined reasons; that information is consistent with flight plan data about a Pilatus (type shown below) inbound to BTM.

Witness Martha Guidoni told CNN she and her husband were driving near the airport when they "watched this plane just take a nosedive... We drove [there] to see if there was any way my husband could help someone, and we were too late."

Officials have not released a count of victims onboard the plane, or whether there are any victims on the ground. There are reports several children were onboard the aircraft.

A PC-12 typically accommodates between 7-10 persons, including pilot(s), depending on interior configuration.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.flightaware.com