Cessna 172M accident near Wallace, Idaho, June 22, 2000
On June 22, 2000 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9895V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wallace, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and his failure to maintain clearance from the trees. Related factors were trees and mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2000 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wallace, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9895V · registry record · serial 17264550
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while reversing course in a valley, the airspeed was 80-90 knots while in the 30 degree banking turn. As the aircraft came out of the turn, the stall warning horn sounded and the aircraft lost altitude. The pilot noted that the airspeed had dropped and was 'well below 60 knots.' The pilot lowered the nose to increase airspeed, however, the aircraft could not gain enough altitude to clear trees. The left wing and left side horizontal stabilizer collided with the tops of the trees. The aircraft was able to remain airborne, and the pilot flew the aircraft to a nearby airport and landed without further incident. The pilot reported that the weather was clear and the winds were light with, 'no turbulence or indications of up-or downdrafts, just light chops over a couple of mountain ridges I crossed.'
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 9,300 as pilot in command; 7,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,554 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 5, 2000; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S83 Kellogg ID at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N9895V 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.