Piper PA-28-140 accident near Newdale, Idaho, June 27, 2023
On June 27, 2023, a 1972 Piper PA-28-140, registered N730SC, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Newdale, Idaho. It was an instructional 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 premature retraction of the flaps by the student pilot, while just above the airplane’s stall speed. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision and failure to regain aircraft control from the student pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2023
- Place
- Newdale, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1972 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N730SC · no longer on the register · serial 28-7225546
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that while his student was at the controls, he initiated a simulated engine failure, and the student executed the emergency procedures for a forced landing. The student chose a place to land and configured the airplane for landing, including full flaps. The instructor noticed that the airplane’s airspeed was “a little slow”, and he instructed the student to check the airspeed, then recover from the simulation. The student retracted the flaps instead of adding engine power, and the airplane stalled and sank. The instructor immediately attempted to take over the airplane’s controls from the student and verbally commanded “my controls”, but the student was “stuck on the controls and locked up.” The airplane continued to descend and touched down in a field and nosed over. Both wings, the fuselage, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder sustained substantial damage. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Simulated/training event during emergency descent
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action sequence › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 602 hours in all; 318 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 544 as pilot in command; 314 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 29, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 33 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,281.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 8, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 4,281 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KRXE Rexburg ID at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KRXE, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRXE 262353Z AUTO 24010KT 10SM CLR 26/04 A2990
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 2, 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
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.