Piper PA-23-250 accident near Stanley, Idaho, June 20, 1989
On June 20, 1989 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N6471Y, was destroyed in an accident near Stanley, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS WERE SNOW SQUALLS AND OBSCURED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN IN THE AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 1989 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Stanley, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6471Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-3766
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING ABOUT 800 FT AGL ALONG A RIVER IN A MOUNTAIN VALLEY WITH STEEP HIGH TERRAIN ON BOTH SIDES. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT FLEW INTO SNOW SQUALL, IMPACTED TREES 6000 FT MSL ON HILLSIDE 1/4 MILE FROM THE RIVER. PLT BRIEFED ON MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS, ADVISED TO UPDATE WEATHER LATER IN FLIGHT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,400 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 3,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,461 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 22, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EAT Wenatchee WA at 4:39 pm
- Destination: U15 Challis ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 25 knots, gusting 32
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:49 pm from U15, 24 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.