Piper PA-28-151 accident near Emmett, Idaho, December 25, 2005
On December 25, 2005 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N5695V, was destroyed in an accident near Emmett, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision by failing to refuel while en route, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of power. A factor was the fence post.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 2005 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Emmett, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N5695V · no longer on the register · serial 28-7715233
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was descending through 6,500 feet mean sea level when the engine lost power. With the left fuel gage indicating 5 gallons and the right gage 6 gallons, the pilot was successful in restarting the engine, but only momentarily before it lost power a second time. Diverting to another airport, which the pilot believed was equipped with pilot controlled lighting, the pilot clicked his mike 7 times to illuminate the runway lights. However, ground fog in the area precluded him from locating the airport. After the pilot attempted a second restart of the engine, which was unsuccessful, he entered the fog but could see some ground reference with the aid of faint house lights in the area. The airplane subsequently touched down in a field with the left wing impacting a fence post and separating from the airplane. The aircraft came to rest on its right side after its left wing separated from the fuselage, and there was no postcrash fire. A post accident examination of the airplane revealed no fuel present in the right wing and 3.2 gallons of fuel in the left tank, of which 2.2 gallons was usable. The fuel selector was in the right tank position.
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: 181 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4S3 Joseph ID
- Destination: EUL Caldwell ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.