Flight and Weather Conditions
The pilot of an aircraft en route decided to land at Billings, Montana, due to weather. At 0803, he contacted Billings Flight Service Station (FSS) and was advised that the weather at Billings was 5,000 feet broken. At 0809, he called Billings Approach Control, reporting his position as 20 miles from the airport with an intention to land.
Approach and Landing Sequence
While en route to the airport, the pilot was unable to locate the airport due to weather until 0818, when the control tower cleared him to land on runway 4. During the approach, the pilot was instructed to descend to 4,000 feet. The airport elevation is 3,649 feet. The pilot never mentioned that he had received the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) broadcast, which indicated winds from the southwest. Neither Approach Control nor the tower advised the pilot of the downwind conditions.
Accident Sequence
The aircraft touched down approximately two-thirds of the way down the runway. It skidded off the runway to a point where the ground drops off abruptly. The aircraft then became airborne for an additional 130 feet before impacting the ground in a near-vertical attitude. No special weather observations were taken during the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.