Cessna 182 accident near Salmon, Idaho, July 16, 2019
On July 16, 2019 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 182, registered N4876N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Salmon, Idaho (Flying B Ranch Landing Strip airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delayed decision to abort the landing on a wet grass runway and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Contributing to the accident was the wet runway which degraded braking.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2019 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Salmon, Idaho · Flying B Ranch Landing Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 Q, built 1979 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N4876N · no longer on the register · serial 18267429
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during a landing on a high altitude, grass runway, sprinklers "doused the windscreen to the point we really couldn't see." He applied the brakes, but they were "ineffective" and the airplane slid and was not decelerating, he elected to abort the landing. During the go around, the airplane impacted the perimeter fence at the end of the runway and shortly after "scraped the top of a ridge." The airplane was able to maintain flight and landed at a nearby airstrip without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot 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
- Loss of visual reference during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,194.4 hours in all; 229.1 in this make and model; 1,094.9 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 2, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,631 hours in all; 1,202 in this make and model; 86 in the last 90 days; 33.4 in the last 30 days; 3,587 as pilot in command; 2,435 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 21, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,776.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,960 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 3,583 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EUL Caldwell ID at 12:40 pm
- Destination: EUL Caldwell ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway N, 2,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from KSMN, 37 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 25, 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 Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.