Cessna 172M accident near Lookout Pass, Idaho, May 29, 1994
On May 29, 1994 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N30608, was destroyed in an accident near Lookout Pass, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
POOR IN-FLIGHT PLANNING. FACTORS INCLUDE CLOUDY WEATHER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1994 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Lookout Pass, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N30608 · registry record · serial 17264148
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED LEAVING ON A RETURN TRIP TO HIS HOME BASE IN ST. MARIES, IDAHO. HE TRIED TO FOLLOW A HIGHWAY THROUGH A VALLEY TO AVOID ADVERSE WEATHER AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN HE TURNED A CORNER, HE SAW THE CEILING HAD LOWERED TO A POINT WHERE HE COULD NO LONGER CONTINUE, AND TRIED TO EXECUTE A 180 DEGREE TURN BACK TO THE EAST. IN DOING SO, HE ENTERED THE CLOUD AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN.
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: 121 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: St. Maries Cap Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: MSO Missoula MT
- Destination: S72 St. Maries ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.