# Accident 20151015017229A: Aviat Aircraft Inc A-1C-200, Palisades, ID, October 15, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 15, 2015, 16:46 local time
- Place: Palisades, ID
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.2233° N, 111.0614° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.2233&lon=-111.0614&mi=10
- Aircraft: N280TB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N280TB-2025-12-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aviat A-1C-200 (registry code 2210411, https://openairdocs.org/model/aviat-a-1c-200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1D6 (registry code 41822, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-a1d6) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1C-200
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-360-A1D6
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR16FA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR16FA013) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20151015017229A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

N280TB DEPARTED ALPINE IDAHO AIRPORT ON A SIGHT-SEEING TRIP AT APPROXIMATELY 1615 LOCAL. N280TB ALONG WITH ANOTHER AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED NORTH TO THE VICINITY OF PALISADES? RESERVOIR. THE FLIGHT PATH ENTERED A BOX CANYON AND RISING TERRAIN, THE TWO AIRCRAFT BEGAN A CLIMB WITH N280TB IN POSITION OF A LOOSE FORMATION FLIGHT. THE TWO AIRCRAFT APPROACHED A RIDGELINE, THE PILOT OF THE TRAIL AIRCRAFT REALIZED HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ALTITUDE TO MAKE THE RIDGELINE CROSSING. BEING SLIGHTLY LOWER (APPROX. 75?) THE PILOT OF THE TRAIL AIRCRAFT QUERIED THE PILOT OF N280TB ABOUT HIS POWER SETTINGS. THE N280TB PILOT STATED HE WAS FULL POWER AT 1680 RPM AND CLIMBING AT 1000 FPM. THE TRAIL PILOT ADVISED HE WAS MAKING A 360 DEGREE CLIMBING TURN FOR ALTITUDE. N280TB SAID HE WOULD MEET HIM ON THE OTHER SIDE AND CONTINUED A STRAIGHT FLIGHT PATH TO CROSS THE RIDGE.  AS THE TRIAL AIRCRAFT COMPLETED 270 DEGREES OF TURN, THE PILOT SAW A CLOUD OF DUST ON THE GROUND. N280TB IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE TRAIL AIRCRAFT CIRCLED THE AREA AND IDENTIFIED THE YOUNG FEMALE PASSENGER ALIVE NEAR THE WRECKAGE. THE PILOT OF THE TRAIL AIRCRAFT CONTACTED JACKSON TOWER ON GUARD FREQUENCY 121.5 AND PROVIDED A GRID TO THE CRASH SITE. THE TRAIL AIRCRAFT REMAINED UNTIL LIMITED ON FUEL AT ABOUT WHICH TIME A EMS HELICOPTER ARRIVED TO RESCUE THE GIRL AND DETERMINE THE FATE OF THE PILOT. THE PILOT OF N280TB DID NOT SURVIVE.

THE FEMALE TEEN PASSENGER WAS INTERVIEWED BY NTSB INVESTIGATOR WHO SAID SHE MENTIONED THE ENGINE SOUNDS NORMAL UP TO THE POINT OF THE CRASH. SHE ALSO MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS A STEADY BEEPING SOUND JUST PRIOR TO THE CRASH.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR16FA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR16FA013), Oct 15, 2015: Aviat A-1C-200 (N280TB), Swan Valley, ID, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering in high density altitude conditions over mountainous terrain, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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