Cessna 172M accident near Mackay, Idaho, October 28, 1999
On October 28, 1999, a Cessna 172M, registered N12376, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mackay, Idaho (Star S Ranch 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to land at the proper touchdown point. Factors include a wind gust, a grass runway, and a drop-off into rough terrain at the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 1999
- Place
- Mackay, Idaho · Star S Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12376 · registry record · serial 17261955
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While making a precautionary landing at a remote grass airstrip, the aircraft did not touch down until after it had floated at least one-quarter of the way down the 5,000 foot long grass runway. After touchdown, and prior to the pilot applying brakes, a gust of wind lifted the aircraft back into the air. After touching down a second time, the pilot applied maximum braking, but he was unable to stop the aircraft before it departed the end of the runway and went over a 20 foot drop-off. At the bottom of the drop-off, the aircraft encountered rough/uneven terrain where it experienced a collapse of the nose gear and one main gear leg.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 482 hours in all; 116 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 447 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,886 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 1999; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SZT Sandpoint ID at 8:45 pm
- Destination: SUN Hailey ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 3, 5,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA00LA010.