Amateur-built AA-5B accident near St Maries, Idaho, July 8, 1996
On July 8, 1996, a amateur-built AA-5B, registered N28452, was destroyed in an accident near St Maries, Idaho. It was a personal 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 pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to a drug (marijuana), and his failure to see-and-avoid power lines. The pilot's intentional low altitude flight was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1996
- Place
- St Maries, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5B
- Registration
- N28452 · no longer on the register · serial AA5B0617
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About three days before the accident, complaints of low-flying were reported to the local sheriff's office concerning the airplane (N28452). On the day of the accident, witnesses saw the airplane flying at 'tree height' (about 60 feet above the surface) along the St. Joe River. The witnesses reported that the airplane struck a power line, which crossed the river, knocking the line into the water. They said that following the wire strike, flames erupted from the airplane, and it continued about one mile before striking a second power line and crashing. A toxicology test of the pilot's blood revealed 0.028 mcg/ml of tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) and 0.093 mcg/ml of tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (metabolite of marijuana). A test of his urine revealed 0.869 mcg/ml of tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid.
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: 2,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S72
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N28452 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.