Piper PA 22-135 accident near Carey, Idaho, July 2, 2015
On July 2, 2015, a 1954 Piper PA 22-135, registered N8195C, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Carey, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined because examination of the airplane wreckage did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2015
- Place
- Carey, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 22-135, built 1954 · all PA 22-135s on the register
- Registration
- N8195C · no longer on the register · serial 22-2300
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot stopped at an intermediate airport during a cross-country personal flight, and added 22 gallons of fuel to the airplane. The family reported the airplane overdue, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notice (ALNOT). The wreckage was located the following day. On site examination by FAA inspectors indicated that the airplane was intact when it hit the ground in a nose low attitude with a rotational component. The toxicology report contained findings for ethanol detected in the lung, heart, and blood. N-propanol was detected in heart, lung, and blood. The report noted putrefaction. The NTSB's medical officer noted that ethanol is the type of alcohol present in beer, wine, and liquor, and can cause impairment at low doses. Generally, the rapid distribution of ethanol throughout the body after ingestion leads to similar levels in different tissues. A small amount of ethanol can be produced in tissues by microbial action post mortem, often in conjunction with other alcohols such as N-propanol, acetone, and methanol. With the information available, it was not possible to determine how much, if any, of the identified ethanol was from ingestion. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 924 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 104 in the last 90 days; 771 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 9, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,731 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 2014; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLD Malad City ID at 5:05 pm
- Destination: 2U7 Stanley ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from KSUN, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
15 documents, released by the NTSB on August 4, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.