Cessna 152 accident near Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, May 28, 1999
On May 28, 1999 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N714UZ, was destroyed in an accident near Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in a stall and uncontrolled collision with terrain. A factor was mountainous/hilly terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1999 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Coeur D'Alene, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N714UZ · no longer on the register · serial 15279459
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident flight, a dual instructional flight with a certificated flight instructor and student pilot aboard, was to have been a final opportunity for the student pilot to hone his skills prior to taking his private pilot checkride. Followng the accident aircraft's takeoff, air traffic control (ATC) radar tracked a 1200 beacon code from Felts Field to the vicinity of an abandoned backcountry airstrip (known as Horse Haven or Horse Heaven) in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest northeast of Couer d'Alene, Idaho. Witnesses subsequently reported seeing a small aircraft make a low pass over Horse Haven and then depart the area to the north, about the time the 1200 beacon code disappeared from radar. No further sightings of the accident aircraft were made. The aircraft failed to return from the flight and a search was initiated, but the search failed to locate the missing aircraft and search operations were suspended after 11 days. The aircraft remained missing for another two years, when it was discovered by chance by a U.S. Forest Service employee performing routine duties in the area. The crash site was in densely forested, mountainous terrain, in a draw about 2 miles north-northeast of, and about 600 vertical feet above, Horse Haven. An on-site investigation disclosed wreckage and impact signatures indicative of a relatively low-speed, near-vertical descent into trees and terrain. However, no evidence of any pre-impact aircraft or engine problems was found.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,832 hours in all; 85 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: January 28, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,403.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 1999; 81.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFF Spokane WA at 7:36 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 251° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from COE, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.