Cessna R172K accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho, July 17, 2003
On July 17, 2003 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N758LW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho (Fanning Field). 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 see and avoid a parked aircraft while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2003 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Idaho Falls, Idaho · Fanning Field · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N758LW · registry record · serial R1723190
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that while taxiing, from the parking area to the active runway, he encountered another airplane taxiing in the opposite direction on the same taxiway. He reported that while maneuvering to the left to avoid the oncoming traffic, he inadvertently collided with a parked aircraft. The taxiing airplane's left wing contacted the right wing of the parked airplane.
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: 216 hours in all; 186 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-KB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Idaho Falls ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway IDA
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.