Evans Aircraft WITTMAN TAILWIND W10 accident near Mccall, Idaho, September 1, 1989
On September 1, 1989 at about 6:00 am local time, a 1985 Evans Aircraft WITTMAN TAILWIND W10, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N62JE, was destroyed in an accident near Mccall, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A collision with terrain for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1989 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Mccall, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evans Aircraft WITTMAN TAILWIND W10 WITTMAN TA, built 1985, amateur-built
- Registration
- N62JE · no longer on the register · serial 448
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a cross-country flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane but did not arrive at his intended destination and was reported missing. A search of the area did not locate airplane wreckage and was suspended. Almost 3 years after the accident, the wreckage was subsequently located in remote terrain about 11 miles northeast of the flight’s intended destination. At that time, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was not notified that the wreckage was located. In October 2018, an individual reported to the NTSB that he had located the door of the accident airplane. No other wreckage was located. The cause of the accident is undetermined due to the lack of evidence.
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
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: SMN Salmon ID
- Destination: MYL Mccall ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Observation at 9:45 pm from 27U
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.