- Date
- March 13, 1994, 18:00 local (Mar 14, 1994, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Dubois, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N40318Maule M-4-220C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940314004929A
- Case key
- 41894
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 pilot's inadequate visual lookout. Factors include light conditions at dusk.
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.
Analysis
While maneuvering at low level in order to look at a possible future landing site, the aircraft impacted a power line in the subdued light of dusk. The pilot said that he had not seen the wire prior to the impact.
Factual narrative
On March 13, 1994, approximately 1800 mountain standard time (MST), a Maule M-4-220C, N40318, collided with a power line while maneuvering about seven miles west of Dubois, Idaho. Neither the private pilot nor his passenger were injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which departed Dubois Municipal Airport, Dubois, Idaho, about 10 minutes earlier, was in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and the ELT, which was activated by the subsequent impact with the ground, was turned off at the scene.
According to the pilot, he was maneuvering at low level to take a look at a future landing site when he impacted a power line. He said that he did not see the wire prior to the impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40318
- Reported as
- Maule M-4-220C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2093C
- Airframe hours
- 823
- Engine
- Franklin 6A-350C, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Owen, Marty & Milloway, Jeremy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 30, 1993 · 175 hours before
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
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 211 total · 113 in this make and model · 120 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N40318 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.