Cessna 185F accident near Driggs, Idaho, October 17, 2000
On October 17, 2000 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N93981, was substantially damaged in an accident near Driggs, Idaho (Teton Peaks airport). It was a business 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 failure to maintain directional control. Factors include soft terrain adjacent to the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2000 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Driggs, Idaho · Teton Peaks · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N93981 · no longer on the register · serial 18503272
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed in calm wind conditions, and the initial part of the landing roll was uneventful. But as the aircraft began to decelerate, it started to drift toward the side of the runway. As the pilot began to apply corrective actions, the soles of his boots caught on either the rudder pedals or each other. He was therefore temporarily unable to make corrective rudder inputs, and by the time he was able to free his feet, the aircraft had entered a ground loop from which he was unable to recover. As the aircraft continued its ground loop, it departed the side of the runway, encountered soft terrain and nosed over.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,300 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,315 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 2000; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D-24 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RXE Rexburg ID at 9:30 pm
- Destination: U59
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 7,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.