Cessna 150J accident near Glenns Ferry, Idaho, March 13, 1983
On March 13, 1983 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N60461, was destroyed in an accident near Glenns Ferry, Idaho. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1983 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Glenns Ferry, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N60461 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH WIRES AND CRASHED DURING A LOW PASS WHILE IT WAS BEING DELIVERED TO A REPAIR STATION. THE PILOT WAS FLYING LOW TO KEEP PACE WITH HIS WIFE WHO WAS FOLLOWING IN A CAR TO TRANSPORT THE PILOT AFTER LANDING. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT MAKING ORBITAL PASSES OVER THE SNAKE RIVER. ON THE FINAL PASS, THE ACFT DESCENDED INTO THE RIVER CANYON AND COLLIDED WITH UNMARKED POWERLINES SPAWNING THE GORGE AT A HEIGHT OF 116 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER. THE ACFT FELL ONTO THE GRAVEL BALLAST OF THE TRACK BED OF THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD WHICH PARALLELED THE RIVER.
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: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 14 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,067 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 1982; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U76 Mountain Home ID
- Destination: TWFA Twin Falls ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from MUO
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.