The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB SEA91LA033 · Final report

Erco 415-C accident near Ola, Idaho, December 8, 1990

On December 8, 1990 at about 2:00 am local time, a Erco 415-C, registered N3522H, was destroyed in an accident near Ola, 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

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE FOR TERRAIN CLEARANCE. ALSO CAUSAL WAS THE PILOT'S IMPAIRMENT DUE TO ALCOHOL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE NIGHT LIGHT CONDITION AND THE HILLY TERRAIN.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
December 8, 1990 · about 2:00 am local time · cases in 1990
Place
Ola, Idaho · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Erco 415-C · all 415-Cs on the register
Registration
N3522H · no longer on the register · serial 4147
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND INVERTED ON THE SIDE OF A HILL APPROXIMATELY 1,290 FT FROM A LARGE TREE WITH A BROKEN BRANCH. WITNESSES BELIEVE THAT THEY SAW THE AIRPLANE AT DUSK IN THE VICINITY OF OLA. A BOTTLE OF VODKA, 1/4 TO 1/3 FULL, WAS FOUND AT THE WRECKAGE SITE. THE PILOT'S ETHANOL LEVEL IN BOTH VITREOUS FLUIDS AND LUNG TISSUE WAS 0.23%.

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: 219 hours in all; 11 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental C85-12F (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: S67 Nampa ID
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: night, dark
  • Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: not recorded; clear
  • Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 1:50 am from BOI, 40 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA91LA033.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.