Cessna A185F accident near Lucile, Idaho, November 6, 2001
On November 6, 2001 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N61909, was destroyed in an accident near Lucile, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude above, and/or clearance with, mountainous terrain during night visual flight rules flight. Factors included mountainous terrain and dark night light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2001 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Lucile, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N61909 · no longer on the register · serial 18504273
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident airplane departed McCall, Idaho, for a planned 45-minute flight to Cottonwood, Idaho. No flight plan was filed for the flight. When the aircraft failed to arrive at Cottonwood, a concerned family member reported the aircraft as missing, and a search for the aircraft was initiated. The wreckage of the aircraft was located the following day on a slope in the Salmon River/U.S. highway 95 canyon approximately 3 nautical miles south-southwest of Lucile, Idaho (note: U.S. highway 95, which runs from McCall to Cottonwood, runs through the canyon where the aircraft crashed.) The aircraft had crashed on the west slope of the generally north/south oriented river canyon, about 800 to 900 feet above the valley floor. Terrain rises to 6,927 feet above mean sea level (MSL; about 5,000 feet above the valley floor) within 5 nautical miles west of the accident site, and to 7,814 feet MSL (about 6,000 feet above the valley floor) within about 5 nautical miles east of the accident site. The wreckage and impact signatures at the accident site were indicative of the aircraft impacting near the spine of a northwest-facing finger ridge in a generally level flight attitude on an easterly heading, with sections of the aircraft continuing east beyond the initial impact point into adjacent ravines before coming to rest. Investigators did not find any evidence of pre-impact mechanical or structural malfunctions of the aircraft during post-accident examinations. Dark night visual meteorological conditions (no moon) existed at the time of the accident flight, with few clouds at about 10,500 feet MSL reported at the departure airport, increasing to broken to overcast clouds at 10,000 to 10,500 feet MSL near the destination.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 14,970 hours in all; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,790.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 2001; 128.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 1:00 am
- Destination: S84 Cottonwood ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 002° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.