Aviat A-1B accident near Driggs, Idaho, March 31, 2006
On March 31, 2006 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Aviat A-1B, registered N471AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Driggs, Idaho (Driggs-Reed Memorial airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent nose over. Contributing factors were the tailwind and the soft snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 2006 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Driggs, Idaho · Driggs-Reed Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1B
- Registration
- N471AM · registry record · serial 2271
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was performing touch-and-go landings on runway 03. During the landing roll, he experienced a tailwind, and the airplane departed the right side of the runway. The airplane's wheels sank into snow about 12 inches deep, and the airplane nosed over. The right wing strut was bent, and the top of the vertical stabilizer and the rudder were crushed. The following wind conditions were recorded by the Automated Surface Observing Station at the airport: At 0956, wind from 360 degrees at 3 knots. At 1056, wind from 190 degrees at 11 knots. At 1112, wind from 200 degrees at 14 knots, remark wind shift at 1052. The pilot reported that after the accident, he was told that "the wind had shifted to about a 10 knot tailwind from that reported by the FBO and [he] was unprepared for this condition."
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,117 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DIJ Driggs ID
- Destination: DIJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.