Cessna 320B accident near Lowell, Idaho, September 24, 1992
On September 24, 1992 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 320B, registered N9811L, was destroyed in an accident near Lowell, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
RAM INDUCTION AIR STARVATION OF BOTH ENGINES AND INABILITY OF THE PILOT IN COMMAND TO CLEAR TREES DURING THE FORCED LANDING. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE LOW CEILINGS AND TREES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 1992 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lowell, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320B · all 320Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9811L · no longer on the register · serial 320B0011
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ESTABLISHED IN CRUISE AT 14,000 FEET AND 21 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE, BOTH ENGINES ABRUPTLY LOST POWER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING IN SNOW AT THE TIME AND THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS REPORTED AS APPROXIMATELY 0 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED TO 3000 FEET MSL AND DURING THE DESCENT ENGINE POWER WAS REGAINED. THE AIRCRAFT BROKE OUT OF AN UNDERCAST WITH APPROXIMATELY 800 FEET OF VERTICAL AND 1 SQUARE MILE OF LATERAL AIRSPACE IN WHICH TO MANEUVER IN, AND WITH UPSLOPING TERRAIN SURROUNDING THE AIRCRAFT THE PILOT ELECTED TO EXECUTE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AT AN ABANDONED AIRSTRIP NEARBY. DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED SMALL TREES WHICH HAD GROWN UP IN THE LANDING AREA. POST CRASH INVESTIGATION REVEALED MOISTURE WITHIN BOTH AIR INDUCTION SYSTEMS AND DETERMINED THAT BOTH ALTERNATE AIR SYSTEMS WERE CAPABLE OF PROPER OPERATION. ADDITIONALLY, UNCONTAMINATED FUEL WAS FOUND WITHIN ALL FOUR FUEL TANKS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,950 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 1,750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-470-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PIH Pocatello ID at 1:20 pm
- Destination: S86 Sandpoint ID
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:34 pm from S80, 53 miles away
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.