Piper PA-28-235 accident near Cold Meadows, Idaho, August 6, 1985
On August 6, 1985 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-235, registered N4346T, was destroyed in an accident near Cold Meadows, Idaho (Cold Meadows Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 6, 1985 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cold Meadows, Idaho · Cold Meadows Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235 · all PA-28-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4346T · no longer on the register · serial 287210007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON AN AIRSTRIP WITH A DENSITY ALT OF 9000 FT. DURING A GO-AROUND THE ACFT WAS UNABLE TO OUT CLIMB RISING TERRAIN DUE TO THE DENSITY ALT. A DEPARTURE STALL INTO TREES RESULTED. A POST-IMPACT FIRE DESTROYED THE ACFT. THE PLT REPORTED HE HAD LITTLE 'BACK COUNTRY' FLYING EXPERIENCE.
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: 388 hours in all; 376 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 338 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 910 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: S80 Grangeville ID at 10:30 pm
- Destination: U81 Salmon ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 4,550 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.