Aviat A-1B accident near Arco, Idaho, September 8, 2002
On September 8, 2002 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Aviat A-1B, registered N290AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arco, Idaho (Butte County 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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions, resulting in an inadvertent ground loop. Factors include wind gusts during the period of time at which the landing took place.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2002 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Arco, Idaho · Butte County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1B
- Registration
- N290AM · registry record · serial 2196
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was attempting a full stop landing on a paved runway, executed an uneventful touchdown, but during the landing roll the aircraft encountered a wind gust that lifted its left wing. Although the pilot attempted to correct the situation, he was unable to compensate for the sudden wind gust in time to keep the aircraft from entering an inadvertent ground loop. During the ground loop sequence, the left wing impacted the runway surface and sustained substantial damage. According to the pilot, there did not seem to be any malfunction of the aircraft's flight control system.
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: 864 hours in all; 184 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 781 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 13, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 2001; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U59 Driggs ID at 4:15 pm
- Destination: AOC Arco ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 6,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N290AM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N290AM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 8,560 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Arco-Butte County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N290AM 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA02LA188.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.