Maule M5-235C accident near Priest River, Idaho, September 6, 1988
On September 6, 1988 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Maule M5-235C, registered N56312, was substantially damaged in an accident near Priest River, Idaho (Valenov Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- September 6, 1988 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Priest River, Idaho · Valenov Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Maule M5-235C · all M5-235Cs on the register
- Registration
- N56312 · no longer on the register · serial 7245C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON APPROACH FOR LNDG ON RWY 27, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE WINDSOCK WAS INDICATING STRONG, SHIFTING WINDS. THE ACFT SETTLED IN THE FLARE, DESPITE ADDED POWER, RESULTING IN HARD LANDING.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,550 hours in all; 1,216 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,273 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,316 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 29, 1988; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J1A5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COE Coeur D'Alene ID at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:27 pm from SFF, 38 miles away
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.
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.