Cessna T207A accident near Elk City, Idaho, November 19, 1992
On November 19, 1992 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Cessna T207A, registered N6257H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elk City, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUATION OF A VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS INCLUDE BECOMING LOST, DISORIENTED, FALLING SNOW, AND MOUNTAINOUS, HILLY TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1992 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Elk City, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T207A · all T207As on the register
- Registration
- N6257H · registry record · serial T207-00453
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE CESSNA 207, WHO WAS ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE A VFR FLIGHT IN MOUNTAINOUS, HILLY TERRAIN, FLEW INTO FALLING SNOW WHICH REDUCED HIS VISIBILITY TO APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE. WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS LOST, HE ATTEMPTED TO REVERSE COURSE, BUT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN IN THE STEEP CANYON.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 225 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,109 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 1992; 909 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wilderness Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Selway Lodge ID at 9:55 pm
- Destination: SMN Salmon ID
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N6257H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.