- Date
- October 19, 1989, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Salmon, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N75863Boeing A75N1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891019045089A
- Case key
- 41140
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Failure of pilot to properly evaluate weather conditions through mountainous terrain and fly at an altitude high enough to maintain terrain clearance.
Analysis
During a cross country flight through a canyon in mountainous terrain, the airplane encountered a downdraft and began to lose altitude. The pilot made a decision to turn around, however, during the turn, the airplane collided with a tree. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75863
- Reported as
- Boeing A75N1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 75-2509
- Engine
- Continental W670-6ACN, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard K. Sullivan
- Departed
- U15 · Challis, ID
- Destination
- MSD · Missoula, MT
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.