Piper PA-28-181 accident near Lewiston, Idaho, March 3, 1984
On March 3, 1984 at about 3:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N2868D, was destroyed in an accident near Lewiston, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 3, 1984 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N2868D · registry record · serial 287990507
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHILE THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ON A FLT IN MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN, HIGH SPEED DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. ABOUT 31 MI EAST AT LEWISTON, ID, THE WX WAS 2500 FT BROKEN, 4000 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 15 MI. THE ELEVATION OF THE WX STATION WAS 1438 FT & THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 4800 FT. ABOUT 3 MI WEST AT CAMP WOOTEN STATE PARK (ELEVATION 2000 FT), RAIN BEGAN BEFORE DARK (1700 PST) & CONTINUED THRU THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, CHANGING TO LARGE HAIL & SNOW AT ABOUT 2000 PST. MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED IN CLOUDS THRU-OUT THIS TIME.
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: 110 hours in all; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 875 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 11, 1983; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 60S Vancouver WA at 1:15 am
- Destination: LWS Lewiston ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.