Piper PA-14 accident near Bliss, Idaho, April 28, 1985
On April 28, 1985 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-14, registered N5122H, was destroyed in an accident near Bliss, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 28, 1985 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bliss, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-14 · all PA-14s on the register
- Registration
- N5122H · no longer on the register · serial 14-128
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES TO CLIMB OUT AT A STEEP ANGLE & SLOW AIRSPEED AFTER THE 3RD TOUCH & GO BEFORE PERFORMING A WINGOVER LIKE MANEUVER & CRASHING IN THE X-WIND TURN. THE PAX REPORTED THE PLT EXECUTING A STEEP LEFT TURN BEFORE THE ACFT BEGAN A SMOOTH RAPID DESCENT. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND RETRACTED. THE PLT REPORTED HAVING FLOWN FOR THE PREVIOUS 10 YEARS BUT POSSESSED ONLY A STUDENT PLT CERTIFICATE. HE ALSO REPORTED UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE COCKPIT ERGONOMICS OF THE PA-14 AS COMPARED TO THE PA-18 WHICH HE HAD BEEN FLYING.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,069 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 27, 1985; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GNG Gooding ID at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from TWF, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.