Piper PA-18A-150 accident near Lowell, Idaho, July 2, 1994
On July 2, 1994 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-18A-150, registered N8565D, was destroyed in an accident near Lowell, Idaho (Fish Lake Usfs airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1994 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lowell, Idaho · Fish Lake Usfs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18A-150 · all PA-18A-150s on the register
- Registration
- N8565D · no longer on the register · serial 18-6784
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 17.5 HOURS AFTER THE CRASH HAVING BEEN CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 350 FEET ABEAM AND SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTERLINE OF THE RUNWAY, WITH THE DISTRIBUTION OPPOSITE TO THE MANDATED DIRECTION FOR LANDING. SHEARED LATERAL TREE BRANCHES ESTABLISHED A STEEP ANGLE OF BANK AND DESCENT TO THE GROUND CONSISTENT WITH AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT SUBSEQUENT TO A STALL. AS THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A LEFT 180 DEGREE TURN.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID at 5:00 pm
- Destination: S92 Fish Lake Usfs ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:43 pm from S80, 50 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.