Cessna 172 accident near Galena, Idaho, June 14, 2017
On June 14, 2017 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1975 Cessna 172, registered N9912Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Galena, Idaho (Smiley Creek airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in a power-on stall and subsequent loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 2017 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Galena, Idaho · Smiley Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1975 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N9912Q · registry record · serial 17265856
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was attempting to perform a crosswind, soft-field takeoff from a dry, turf airstrip. He set the flaps to 10°, and the airplane was in a nose-high attitude until the stall warning horn sounded. He then relaxed pressure on the yoke until the stall warning horn stopped. Shortly after liftoff, the airplane entered a power-on stall, and the pilot lost airplane control, and the airplane then began to descend to the runway. The airplane subsequently departed the runway and impacted a barbed wire fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Abrupt maneuver during takeoff defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Runway excursion during after landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 369 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 327 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 24, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,660.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 2, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 5,998 hours total
- Operator: Ponderosa Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: KBOI Boise ID at 3:00 pm
- Destination: U87 Smiley Creek ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 32, 4,900 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from KSNT, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9912Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.