Cessna 206 accident near Boise, Idaho, November 10, 2018
On November 10, 2018 at about 6:35 am local time, a 1964 Cessna 206, registered N16HT, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern crosswind) near Boise, Idaho (Emmett Muni airport). It was an instructional 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 airplane’s impact with a bird during the approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 2018 · about 6:35 am local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Emmett Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 Undesignat, built 1964 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N16HT · registry record · serial 2060134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that he and the student pilot were conducting a training flight using night vision googles. While the airplane was in the traffic pattern, he saw a small flock of geese. Shortly after, he felt a thump. The student reconfigured the rudder and flap setting and was able to land the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Birdstrike during approach (VFR pattern crosswind) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,400 hours in all; 4.8 in this make and model; 7.5 in the last 90 days; 5.5 in the last 30 days; 4,220 as pilot in command; 3,473 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 10, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,845 hours in all; 98 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 10,623 as pilot in command; 4,150 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 15, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,317.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 3,296 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO 520 SERIES (piston); 2,918 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Specialties Unlimited Inc
The flight
- Departed from: EUL Caldwell ID at 6:30 am
- Destination: S78 Boise ID
- Runway 28, 3,307 ft by 55 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 am from KEUL, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 11, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N16HT 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.