Bozeman, MontanaBozeman Aviation Accident
Bozeman Aviation Accident Lawyers: Plane, Helicopter and Charter Crashes Near Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
Boland Aarab PLLP.
Aviation crashes around Bozeman are investigated by the NTSB, not local police, and families are not parties to that investigation. Claims may run against the pilot, operator, maintenance shop, manufacturer or, sometimes, the United States. Montana allows three years for most claims, but federal claims and the 18-year GARA rule can change the timeline.
Lost someone, or seriously hurt, in an aircraft accident in the Gallatin Valley or the mountains around Big Sky and Yellowstone? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
What aviation activity is there around Bozeman?
A great deal, and more every year:
- Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), next to Belgrade about eight miles northwest of Bozeman, has been Montana’s busiest airport since 2013. The airport reported 2,809,419 passengers in 2025, up 6.3% from 2024, along with 71,682 general aviation operations and 9,794 corporate landings (BZN 2025 year-end report). Private jets serving Big Sky and the Yellowstone Club, charter operators, flight schools, maintenance shops, helicopter operators and air ambulances all work from the field.
- Yellowstone Airport (WYS) at West Yellowstone, owned and operated by the Montana Department of Transportation, handles seasonal commercial and general aviation traffic at more than 6,600 feet (MDT, Yellowstone Airport).
- Mountain flying. Small aircraft and helicopters operate over the Bridger, Gallatin and Madison ranges and into the Yellowstone region, where terrain, density altitude on warm days, sudden weather changes and winter icing are serious hazards.
- Air medical transport. Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center and the Big Sky Medical Center both have helipads for air ambulances (Bozeman Health), and critical patients are often flown on to Level 1 trauma centers in Billings.
Private and charter aviation is heavily seasonal here, peaking with ski season in winter and Yellowstone travel in summer. Busy weekends mean congested airspace, tight schedules and pressure on crews and maintenance.
What happens after an aviation accident near Bozeman?
The investigation. The operator must notify the National Transportation Safety Board immediately (49 C.F.R. § 830.5). The NTSB leads civil aviation investigations, usually with the FAA taking part. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue respond to remote crash sites, and the Gallatin County Coroner’s Office, part of the Sheriff-Coroner, investigates deaths (Gallatin County Coroner).
Families are outside the room. The NTSB names as parties the companies and agencies involved, often the operator, the manufacturers and the FAA (49 C.F.R. § 831.11). Injured people and families are not parties. That is why independent investigation, and a demand that the operator, maintenance shop and airport-based businesses preserve records, should start early.
The court. A state-court case over a Gallatin County crash goes to the Eighteenth Judicial District Court at the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center, 515 South 16th Avenue, Bozeman (§ 3-5-101, MCA). Aviation cases often end up in federal court. For Gallatin County and for Madison County, where part of the Big Sky area and the Madison Range lie, that is the Butte Division (D. Mont. L.R. 1.2). Claims against the United States, for example over air traffic control, are venued in the division where the accident happened or where the plaintiff lives (D. Mont. L.R. 3.2(b)(1)).
Montana law that applies
Our Montana aviation accident lawyer page covers these rules in depth:
- NTSB Board reports cannot be admitted or used in a civil damages case (49 U.S.C. § 1154(b)); factual reports are treated differently (49 C.F.R. § 835.2).
- GARA generally bars suits against general aviation manufacturers 18 years after delivery, with exceptions; it does not protect pilots, operators or maintenance shops.
- Three years for most Montana injury and wrongful-death claims (§ 27-2-204, MCA); a two-year written-claim rule for claims against the United States (28 U.S.C. § 2401(b)).
- State aircraft registration records can help identify an owner (§ 67-3-201, MCA).
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Bozeman case?
Aviation cases are document-heavy, expert-driven and often fought in federal court against well-funded defendants. We are based in Great Falls and take cases across Montana. Our attorneys travel to Bozeman, Butte and wherever the wreckage, records and witnesses are. We have no Bozeman office. We bring federal-court experience and a trial lawyer’s approach to building the case.
The Boland Aarab Way
- Federal court is familiar ground. Our attorneys have handled more than 40 cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana over nine years.
- Ninth Circuit experience. Samir Aarab has argued twice before the Ninth Circuit.
- Trial experience. More than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
- Serious about wrongful death. Our firm resolved a civil-rights and wrongful-death case for $550,000 in Estate of Alexander v. Cascade County.
We also handle wrongful death cases in Bozeman and burn injury cases in Bozeman. See our Bozeman personal injury page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who investigates a plane crash near Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport? The NTSB leads the investigation, usually with the FAA. Local agencies, including the Gallatin County Sheriff and Coroner, handle the scene response and any death investigation.
Can the NTSB report be used in our lawsuit? The Board’s accident report and probable-cause finding cannot be used in a civil damages case. Factual information gathered by investigators is treated differently, and we build our own case independently.
A private jet or charter flight to Big Sky crashed. Who can be responsible? Possibly the pilot, the charter operator, the aircraft’s owner or management company, a maintenance provider and, for newer aircraft or parts, the manufacturer. Charter flights carry different regulatory duties than private flights.
What if the crash happened in the mountains near Big Sky? The county matters for state court, because Big Sky straddles Gallatin and Madison Counties. Both counties are in the federal court’s Butte Division.
How long do families have to act after a Montana aviation death? Generally three years for wrongful death, but two years to present a claim against the United States, and GARA may bar some manufacturer claims. Early preservation of records matters most.
Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
