Maule M-5-235C accident near Alta, Wyoming, October 23, 1995
On October 23, 1995 at about 11:42 pm local time, a Maule M-5-235C, registered N71AR, was destroyed in an accident near Alta, Wyoming. It was an aerial observation 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 corrosion, consequent fatigue cracking and ultimate separation of the right wing forward lift strut.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1995 · about 11:42 pm local time
- Place
- Alta, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-235C · all M-5-235Cs on the register
- Registration
- N71AR · no longer on the register · serial 7445C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was observed entering a level, counter-clockwise turn approximately 200-300 feet above ground. Witnesses reported observing the right wing separate from the aircraft after approximately three-quarters of the turn, and the aircraft was then observed to descend rapidly to the ground and burn upon impact. Examination of the airframe records indicated that the aircraft's original struts were still installed with a total of 4,945 hours of service and no indication of any significant maintenance. On site examination revealed that the right wing forward lift strut had separated completely at a point approximately eight inches above its inboard end (right main landing gear attach point). Metallurgical examination revealed that the lower inside of the strut at the separation surface was corroded and that fatigue cracking progressed from the corroded area through a portion of the top surface of the strut.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,950 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 12,950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,945 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1995; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J1A5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: U59 Driggs ID at 9:10 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 pm from IDA, 47 miles away
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.