Cessna 182J accident near Payette, Idaho, May 17, 2003
On May 17, 2003 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 182J, registered N3450F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payette, Idaho (Payette Municipal 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-in-command's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll resulting in the aircraft departing the runway environment, collapsing the nose gear and nosing over. Contributing factors were the pilot-in-command's failure to execute a go around maneuver, the gusty crosswind conditions and the soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2003 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Payette, Idaho · Payette Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182J · all 182Js on the register
- Registration
- N3450F · registry record · serial 18257450
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot entered the pattern and set up for an approach and landing on runway 31, a 3,000 foot long by 50 foot wide asphalt runway. Winds at a nearby airport were reported as 240 degrees magnetic at 11 knots gusting to 16 knots. The aircraft touched down close to the threshold/right side of the runway and immediately began drifting right. The aircraft then left the runway surface but tracked parallel to the runway on sandy soil along the runway's northeast edge impacting a runway light. The nose gear collapsed and the aircraft nosed over. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft and later reported that he should have made a go around decision when the aircraft began drifting right.
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: 348 hours in all; 284 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 348 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 25, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 134 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 134 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 15, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,649 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 2003; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R25B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U70 Cascade ID at 4:15 pm
- Destination: S75 Payette ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from ONO, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.