Maule M-4-210C accident near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, April 16, 2001
On April 16, 2001 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Maule M-4-210C, registered N51463, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bonners Ferry, Idaho (Boundary County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate preflight inspection/preparation of the aircraft by the pilot and consequent foreign object fouling of the rudder control, rendering directional control impossible. A factor was the pilot's distraction/preoccupation with personal problems.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2001 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bonners Ferry, Idaho · Boundary County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-4-210C · all M-4-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N51463 · registry record · serial 1117C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that his wife had told him she wanted a divorce the day before the accident, and stated: "I believe now I was not prepared to taxi the aircraft, lack of concentration due to stress [sic]." The pilot stated that he applied power, the tail went up, and the aircraft started drifting left. He stated that he then tried to apply right rudder, but "I had left a small cockpit electric heater on [the] floor by [the] rudder pedals, which moved forward [and] locked up [the] rudder pedals." He reported that he was unable to correct the drift and that he then "chopped power" and applied brakes. However, the aircraft went off the left side of the runway, collapsing the right main landing gear and damaging a wing. The pilot indicated on his NTSB accident report that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident.
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
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1992; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 65S Bonners Ferry ID at 1:00 pm
- Destination: SZT Sandpoint ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.