Piper PA-36 accident near Firth, Idaho, August 2, 1983
On August 2, 1983 at about 2:53 am local time, a Piper PA-36, registered N57588, was destroyed in an accident near Firth, Idaho. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- August 2, 1983 · about 2:53 am local time
- Place
- Firth, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36 · all PA-36s on the register
- Registration
- N57588 · no longer on the register · serial 36-7560121
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ACFT WAS OVERHEARD RETURNING TO THE STRIP FOR A SECOND LOAD. REPORTEDLY, IT WENT INTO A STEEP BANK AT ABOUT 70 FT AGL & TURNED TOWARD THE STRIP. AS THE WINGS LEVELED, SOUNDS OF HIGH ENG POWER CEASED & THE ACFT DESCEND TO THE GROUND. JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT, SOME WITNESSES HEARD A BURST OF POWER. THE IMPACT OCCURRED ON THE RISING PORTION OF UNEVEN TERRAIN AFTER THE ACFT CROSSED OVER A FENCE WHICH WAS NEAR A POND. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE WAS MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS VERIFIED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,048 hours in all; 905 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,152 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1983; 254 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-B1CD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from IDA, 14 miles away
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.