Cessna 182P accident near Cascade, Idaho, August 4, 2002
On August 4, 2002 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N58818, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cascade, Idaho (Sulfur Creek airport). It was a personal flight 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 inadequate decision and his improper setting of the propeller controls. Contributing factors were a tailwind, high density altitude, and swampy terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2002 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cascade, Idaho · Sulfur Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N58818 · registry record · serial 18262317
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a written statement the private pilot reported that the airplane did not rotate when he expected it to, and that when it finally lifted off it was not developing full engine RPM. He further stated that once the airplane became airborne the flight controls were "mushy" and he elected to abort the takeoff from an altitude of approximately 20 feet above ground level (AGL). The airplane touched down beyond the departure end of the runway, in a bog, and nosed over. In his written statement the pilot attributed the lack of aircraft performance to; a high density altitude (estimated to be 7,698 MSL) and a 10 knot tail wind during takeoff. He also reported that the propeller control knob was incorrectly set to a high pitch low RPM setting during takeoff, and that he had not completed the before takeoff checklist prior to departure. The before takeoff checklist procedures for the Cessna 182P, as published in Section four of the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), specify that the propeller be placed in the "high RPM (full in)" position before takeoff.
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: 274 hours in all; 251 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 236 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 12, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,207 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2001; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ID74 Sulpher Creek ID at 4:30 pm
- Destination: KEUL Caldwell ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 3,300 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from KMYL, 280 miles away
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.
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.