Flathead County, MT — A plane crash in Flathead, Montana, left a man dead and another injured on Tuesday, December 16, 2014. The accident happened near Flathead Lake, around 4:30 in the afternoon.
The victims of the accident were identified as Brett Thoft and Tim Schauss. The Piper Super Cub the two were riding in went down because of what the National Transportation Safety Board has called several erratic maneuvers.
The two had gone flying that day on a sightseeing trip.
Paramedics declared Thoft dead at the scene. Schauss was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center and listed in critical condition.
The NTSB is currently investigating the crash.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Everything I’ve read says that the man killed in this accident was a great pilot, and really knew his business. I have no reason not to believe any of that, so I’m wondering what might have caused the erratic maneuvers that investigators say caused the plane to go down. This is a perfect example of when an independent investigation would do so much good. The NTSB is very competent, but they can take months before releasing the findings of their investigations. If you’re injured in a plane crash, you have a limited amount of time in which to do anything about it. And the clock starts running the day of the accident, not the day the findings are released. For victims and their families, waiting months to discover what caused an accident like this is asking a little much.
— Grossman Law Offices
