Cessna 150B accident near Hailey, Idaho, June 21, 1996
On June 21, 1996 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Cessna 150B, registered N1236Y, was destroyed in an accident near Hailey, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper planning/decision, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a climb over rising terrain, which resulted in a stall and collision with terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: failure of the pilot to ensure the airplane was within its weight and balance limitations, high density altitude, and the rising/mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1996 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Hailey, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150B · all 150Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1236Y · no longer on the register · serial 15059636
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and had it fully serviced with fuel before taking off. Postaccident calculations indicated that the airplane was about 50 pounds over its maximum gross weight limit, and its center-of-gravity was behind the aft limit. The airport elevation was 5,315 feet; density altitude at the airport was about 5,840 feet. Immediately after departure in VFR conditions, the pilot flew the airplane toward rising terrain, despite the control tower's advisement to initiate a left turn over lower, level terrain. The controller asked the pilot for his position, and the pilot replied, 'I'm heading up the valley . . . east of the airport . . . I'm just about to come out of the valley at the east end.' No distress call was received from the airplane. Subsequently, the airplane crashed at an elevation of about 6,700 feet, below a saddle in mountainous terrain. There was evidence that the airplane had stalled; it came to rest in a steep nose-down attitude with the nose imbedded in the ground and crushing damage to the leading edges of the wings.
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: 220 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,896 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 1995; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUN ID at 2:52 pm
- Destination: 40U Manila UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from SUN, 6 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.