Piper PA-22-150 accident near Challis, Idaho, October 16, 1997
On October 16, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N7507D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Challis, Idaho (Challis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. Factors were inattention and fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Challis, Idaho · Challis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N7507D · registry record · serial 22-5234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had landed to the south in light and variable winds in visual meteorological conditions. The airplane swerved to the right; he overcorrected, and the airplane ground-looped to the right, collapsing the right main landing gear and striking the right wing, bending the rear spar. In a written statement, the pilot noted that he 'realize[d] that I had landed a little hot and had not completely stalled. I had relaxed back pressure on the elevator and had not planted my tailwheel. I feel that fatigue and a lack of attention to the job at hand caused this accident.' He additionally noted that 'I had been working the graveyard shift for the past seven nights and I was very tired. I should have gotten a few hours of sleep before the flight.'
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: 490 hours in all; 439 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,638 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Elko NV at 7:10 pm
- Destination: U15
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N7507D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA98LA002.