Piper PA-32-300 accident near Mountain Home, Idaho, June 9, 2012
On June 9, 2012 at about 6:32 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N8990N, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Mountain Home, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noninstrument-rated pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 2012 · about 6:32 pm local time
- Place
- Mountain Home, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8990N · no longer on the register · serial 32-40873
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument rated pilot was on a visual flight rules cross-country flight, headed west over mountainous terrain. He had been en route about 3 hours and was about 60 nautical miles from his destination when the accident occurred. Radar data indicated that until a few minutes before the accident, the pilot maintained a direct course west toward the destination. During the last 2 minutes of the flight, the airplane turned left to an east heading then immediately turned right, back to a west/northwest heading. The last radar return showed the airplane at an altitude of 7,600 feet mean sea level (msl) about 0.27 mile from the accident site. The airplane impacted terrain at an elevation of about 7,400 feet in a right-wing-low attitude. Weather radar showed rain/snow showers and satellite imagery showed abundant cloud cover over the accident site at the time of the accident. The cloud cover was moving from west to east and had tops about 22,000 to 23,000 feet msl. An AIRMET in the area of the accident reported mountain obscuration conditions, and the reported freezing level was about 7,500 feet. When rescue personnel arrived at the scene several hours later, they found 8 to 10 inches of snow on the ground. The airplane's flightpath and the weather data are consistent with the flight encountering snow showers and possibly reduced visibility in the vicinity of the accident site. The airplane's flight track suggests that the pilot initially turned back when he encountered the deteriorating weather but decided to proceed toward his destination when the collision with mountainous terrain occurred. Examination of the airplane's airframe and engine found no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological testing of specimens from the pilot detected medications that were unlikely to have posed a significant hazard to flight safety.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise)
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Obscuration › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all
- Last flight review: October 4, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,855 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 19, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RKS Rock Springs WY at 3:45 pm
- Destination: MAN Nampa ID
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 17 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,700 ft; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from MUO, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.