Cessna 182L accident near Mccall, Idaho, September 21, 2002
On September 21, 2002 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 182L, registered N42862, was destroyed in an accident near Mccall, Idaho (Mccall Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 adequate airspeed and an acceptable rate of descent while on short final for landing, and his failure to maintain directional control after the resultant hard landing. Factors include a ditch near the temporary runway (taxiway) he was landing on.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2002 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Mccall, Idaho · Mccall Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N42862 · no longer on the register · serial 18259222
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot received a briefing from flight service prior to departure, during which he was advised that the runway at McCall was closed for construction activities, but that during daylight hours aircraft could land on the taxiway. The pilot reported that when he arrived at McCall, it was dusk, but he could still see the runway environment. He therefore decided to make his approach to runway 34 and then sidestep for a landing on the parallel taxiway. Although the approach to the runway and the side-step to align with the taxiway were uneventful, as the pilot was attempting to flare for the landing on the taxiway, he allowed the airspeed to get too low, and the aircraft descended onto the taxiway surface at an excessive rate, resulting in a hard bounced landing. As the aircraft touched down a second time, it was misaligned with the taxiway centerline, and as the pilot was trying to reestablish directional control, the aircraft departed the taxiway and impacted a nearby ditch. During the accident sequence a small fire started, and because the pilot had no means by which to extinguish it, the fire eventually consumed almost the entire aircraft. According to the pilot, there was no indication that there had been any mechanical malfunction or anomaly that had contributed to 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 30, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 2001; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DLS The Dalles OR
- Destination: MYL Mc Call ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34T, 6,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from KMYL
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.