Piper PA-14 accident near Challis, Idaho, August 27, 2005
On August 27, 2005 at about 4:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-14, registered N5104H, was destroyed in an accident near Challis, Idaho. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and the subsequent inadvertent stall/spin to the ground. A contributing factor was the pilot's diverted attention while spotting/locating Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2005 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Challis, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-14 · all PA-14s on the register
- Registration
- N5104H · registry record · serial 14-109
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and his passenger were spotting Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep in mountainous terrain for the coming hunting season. The airplane was found by a responding fire fighting team. No impact ground scar was found; postimpact fire consumed the airplane. The airplane's left wing remains were swept forward approximately 60 degrees, and the right wing remains were swept aft approximately 60 degrees. The aft fuselage and empennage were rotated and twisted to the right. No preimpact engine or airframe anomalies, which might have affected the airplane's performance, were identified.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 2,130 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-320-B2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LLJ Challis ID at 4:30 pm
- Destination: LLJ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from LLJ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.