Maule M-6-235 accident near Gibbonsville, Idaho, June 18, 1985
On June 18, 1985 at about 11:38 pm local time, a Maule M-6-235, registered N121A, was destroyed in an accident near Gibbonsville, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1985 · about 11:38 pm local time
- Place
- Gibbonsville, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-6-235 · all M-6-235s on the register
- Registration
- N121A · registry record · serial 7459C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND TWO PASSENGERS DEPARTED ON A 2 HR FLT FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING AERIAL OBSERVATION OF MINE SITES. THE ACFT WAS OPERATING IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN DURING HOT TEMP CONDITIONS RESULTING IN A HIGH DENSITY ALT. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. THE ACFT DESCENDED TO AND IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERITCAL ATTITUDE INDICATIVE OF THE INITAL PHASE OF A STALL. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY AIRFRAME NOR POWERPLANT MALFUNCTION. THE PLT HAD BEEN OPERATING THE ACCIDENT ACFT IN THE GEOGRAPHIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,555 hours in all; 605 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 82 in the last 30 days; 145 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,802 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1985; 334 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alpine Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: SMN Salmon ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA85FA142.