Piper PA-28-140 accident near Rexburg, Idaho, March 13, 1999
On March 13, 1999, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N9578W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rexburg, Idaho (Rexburg-Madison County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1999
- Place
- Rexburg, Idaho · Rexburg-Madison County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N9578W · no longer on the register · serial 28-23022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft, which departed under visual flight rules and received no air traffic services, failed to arrive at its destination airport 9 nautical miles from its point of departure. After approximately two hours of searching, the aircraft wreckage, with the seriously injured pilot inside, was located off the north end of the destination airport runway (17/35). Ground scars observed in the area were consistent with the aircraft impacting short of the runway during a landing attempt to the south. Local police who responded to the crash scene noted fuel in both of the aircraft's fuel tanks, carburetor heat off, and the fuel selector in the OFF position; a local mechanic reported he found about 1/2 teaspoon of fuel in the carburetor float bowl after the accident. The pilot reported the accident occurred about 10 minutes after departure and that he believed the accident was due to 'engine failure due to unknown causes', but he could otherwise remember 'nothing of the flight, the engine problems prompting him to prepare for an emergency landing, or the crash....' A follow-up engine examination disclosed propeller damage consistent with low or no power at impact, but 'found no mechanical reason for the engine to stop running.' Further examination of the aircraft's carburetor disclosed a float valve retractor clip, which was an improper type for the installed float, laying in the bottom of the float bowl chamber. The temperature/dewpoint combination reported at the airport near the reported time of the accident posed a hazard of 'serious [carburetor] icing at glide power', according to FAA data.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 379 hours in all; 339 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 379 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,796 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1998; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U12 St. Anthony ID at 11:50 pm
- Destination: RXE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from RXE, 1 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.