Aviat A-1 accident near Emmett, Idaho, April 6, 1999
On April 6, 1999 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Aviat A-1, registered N345HU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Emmett, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a low-altitude maneuver to view a coyote on the ground. A related factor was the pilot's low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1999 · about 6:25 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Emmett, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1
- Registration
- N345HU · registry record · serial 1337
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Before radar contact with the aircraft was lost, approach control radar tracked the aircraft descending to an altitude of 300 feet above ground level or less. As the aircraft was being flown at low altitude, one of the aircraft occupants spotted a coyote. The pilot reported he then initiated a 270-degree turn to get a better view of the coyote, and that as the aircraft rolled out of the 270-degree turn, the aircraft experienced a high rate of descent, which addition of power and raising the nose failed to arrest. The passenger reported that as soon as the coyote was called out, the pilot immediately rolled into a steep turn, and that the next thing he remembered was ground impact. The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunction was involved, and FAA inspectors found no evidence of mechanical problems in the wreckage. Weather reports and forecasts for the area disclosed no indications of high winds or turbulence during the time frame of the accident 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: 953 hours in all; 265 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 883 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 301 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 1999; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOI Boise ID at 5:45 pm
- Destination: S78 Emmett ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 343° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from EUL, 14 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.
Other NTSB records under N345HU the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N345HU on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G 141 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field · departed from
- Emmett Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N345HU 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA99LA047.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.