Amateur-built JUST ACFT SUPERSTOL accident near Ketchum, Idaho, January 30, 2022
On January 30, 2022 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2019 amateur-built JUST ACFT SUPERSTOL, registered N8794G, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Ketchum, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2022 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ketchum, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JUST ACFT SUPERSTOL, built 2019
- Registration
- N8794G · registry record · serial JA515-12-17
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a local area flight, while the airplane was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 9,000 ft mean sea level over mountainous terrain, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem, but he was unable to restore engine power. As a result, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a snow covered field. During the landing roll, the main landing gear tires settled into the snow, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The vertical stabilizer, rudder, and right-wing lift strut were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that his postaccident examination of the engine and airframe found no mechanical issues. The pilot thought that the airplane “flew through a layer” that “had the right temperatures that would have quickly developed carburetor ice.”
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
- Fuel related during enroute defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 561 hours in all; 60 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 6, 2021
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42.5 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 7, 2021; 42.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ID82 Picabo ID at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from KSUN, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSUN 302150Z 00000KT 10SM SKC M02/M14 A3019
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 15, 2023. 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 | Record of Conversations - Pilot | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-25 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N8794G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.