Maule M-5-235C accident near Stanley, Idaho, May 29, 2021
On May 29, 2021 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1977 Maule M-5-235C, registered N9254E, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Stanley, Idaho (Thomas Creek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat in weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing, resulting in a partial loss of engine power and a forced landing during which the airplane struck an object and nosed over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2021 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Stanley, Idaho · Thomas Creek · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-235C, built 1977 · all M-5-235Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9254E · registry record · serial 7147C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot initiated a descent to the remote airstrip with the intention of performing a low approach to check the runway surface then landing if conditions allowed. About 500 ft before the runway threshold, the pilot applied full engine power, and the engine responded but then began to progressively lose power. He turned on the carburetor heat, confirmed that the engine mixture was set correctly, and began to turn the airplane away from rising terrain. The airplane would not climb, and he maneuvered it through an adjacent canyon, at which time the engine started to regain power. Due to rising terrain, the pilot had limited options to turn around the airplane, so the pilot performed a forced landing. During the landing flare, the airplane struck a log and nosed over. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the engine that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions at the time of the flight were conducive to serious carburetor icing at cruise power. The pilot did not turn on carburetor heat until after the engine started to lose power, so it is likely that pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat earlier in the flight caused carburetor icing that led to the partial loss of engine power.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Off-field or emergency landing during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated other cases naming the heating, ice protection and utility systems
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 349 hours in all; 185 in this make and model; 188 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 349 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 28, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,769.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 2021; 130.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 1,900 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3U2 Johnson Creek Airport ID at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 11:16 am from KMYL, 48 miles away
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KMYL 261716Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT013 OVC020 07/03 A3018 RMK AO2 T00720033
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 22, 2022. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Engine Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Saib CE-09-35 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo of Accident Site | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9254E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule M-5 364 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,345 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 5,245 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Thomas Creek Airport · nearest airport
- Johnson Creek Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 288 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR21LA212.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.