Idaho Division Of Aeronautics

Slate Creek is now a firebase. The airstrip is closed except for firefighting operations. Check NOTAMs, we will close the NOTAM when they are done there. Watch for fire traffic in the area.

❝Fear of the low altitude stall/spin scenario is probably responsible for more runway overruns than wind and ice combined, due to its overreliance on abundant airspeed. While the stall/spin is a real concern, pilots looking to get into the backcountry should be at a skill level that has transcended this basic skill or lack thereof.❞

— Patrick Romano, Colorado backcountry instructor

Part 1 of the STOL Tips series: Romano traces the problem to primary training—and lays out a better method borrowed from how jets handle every approach.

► Full article—link in comments.

Based out of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, Tanker 912 is supporting multiple fires in the Great Basin Region 4 area.

Magee was looking great Thursday.

This Family Never Made it Home From Their Flying Vacation.

The pilot of a Socata TBM700 single-engine turboprop received the local weather near his destination, KEFT in Wisconsin. The report read 1/4 SM FG OVC003. Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE) say that many pilots incorrectly focus on ceiling as the primary go/no-go factor for an instrument approach, rather than the visibility. Seeing an overcast layer at 300 feet—just below the published 394-foot MDA for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 12 approach—the pilot may have decided the approach was worth attempting, despite the visibility being far below the 1 SM minimum shown on the approach plate.

FAR 91.175 allows a pilot to begin an instrument approach even when reported weather is below published minimums. But the rule is very clear: flight visibility, not ceiling, determines whether you may descend below MDA and land.

ADS-B data shows the TBM intercepting the final approach course and descending toward minimums. At approximately 410 feet AGL, the aircraft pitched up slightly, accelerated, and began a turn away from the runway—contrary to the published missed approach procedure. Moments later, it reversed course and descended into terrain. Both occupants were fatally injured.

Takeaway: FAR 91.175 makes one thing clear: only flight visibility matters when deciding whether an instrument approach is legal and safe to continue—ceiling does not. The pilot likely saw the 300-foot ceiling and figured, “That’s close to minimums; I can try this.” But the real controlling minimum was the 1 SM visibility, and the reported 1/4 SM meant there was virtually no chance of getting in safely. In fact, the visual descent point (VDP) was even further at 1.1 NM from the runway. Good Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) would have pointed strongly toward diverting rather than attempting a potentially unsafe approach.

Professional flight crews are typically prohibited from even starting an approach when visibility is below minimums. This accident shows why.

Remember: Visibility rules—ceilings do not.

Fly safe, friends. ✈️