Cessna 340A accident near Mead, Washington, December 14, 1995
On December 14, 1995 at about 2:16 am local time, a Cessna 340A, registered N5GM, was destroyed in an accident near Mead, Washington. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance in mountainous terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were: dark night conditions, mountainous terrain, and instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 1995 · about 2:16 am local time
- Place
- Mead, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- N5GM · no longer on the register · serial 340A0317
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot's departure plans were changed, when, instead of flying direct to his originally planned destination, he was asked to pick up a passenger at another airport prior to returning home. He departed for his alternative destination in dark night conditions, leveled off at his cruise altitude and impacted the side of a mountain in level flight about 25 miles from his departure point. Air Traffic Control vectored another aircraft to the vicinity after communications and radar contact were lost. The crew of that aircraft stated that instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time in the vicinity of the crash site.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 132 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 24, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 5,990 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GEG Spokane WA at 2:06 am
- Destination: S86 Sandpoint ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 am from GEG, 25 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.