Cessna 180 accident near Grangeville, Idaho, September 26, 2001
On September 26, 2001 at about 6:27 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N224H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grangeville, Idaho (Idaho County 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor was variable winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2001 · about 6:27 pm local time
- Place
- Grangeville, Idaho · Idaho County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N224H · registry record · serial 32649
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was landing on runway 07, and that prior to landing, the temporary tower gave him the winds as being from 100 degrees at 7 knots. He stated the winds appeared to him to be fairly steady at these values throughout the approach. The pilot reported that after touchdown with all three wheels on the asphalt and near the end of roll out, with yoke full back and aileron into the wind, the tail lifted and the aircraft yawed to the right. The pilot stated he tried to correct with left rudder and brake, but the tail lifted again and the aircraft yawed to the right much worse than the first time. The aircraft's left main gear then collapsed. The pilot reported that after he got out of the aircraft after the accident, "I was facing looking down runway 07 and the wind was hitting me in the back of the neck." He stated that he then looked at the wind sock and estimated that the wind had changed to southwesterly at about 12 to 15 knots, and that soon afterward the tower was reporting winds from 190 degrees at 12 knots to other aircraft. The pilot indicated on his NTSB accident report that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident. Reported winds at three observation stations in an area generally surrounding the accident airport exhibited variability in both direction and speed in a time frame starting about 1 1/2 hours after 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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,519 hours in all; 818 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 28, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,968.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 2001; 7.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S80 Grangeville ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.