Cessna T337D accident near Driggs, Idaho, June 22, 2003
On June 22, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna T337D, registered N86182, was substantially damaged in an accident near Driggs, Idaho. 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's inadequate inflight decision by failing to refuel while en route, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of power. A factor contributing to the accident was the unsuitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Driggs, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T337D · all T337Ds on the register
- Registration
- N86182 · no longer on the register · serial 337-1105
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot calculated the distance to his destination at 201 nautical miles and estimated that he had 2 hours of fuel in the main tanks at the time of takeoff. Twelve minutes into the flight and leveling off at 13,500 feet MSL, the Global Positioning System was indicating a groundspeed of 190 knots, with the destination airport 59 minutes away. The pilot assumed he had close to 1 3/4 hours of fuel remaining, and elected to proceed directly to his destination rather than to stop and refuel. 80 nautical miles from the destination airport the pilot began a descent out of 8,000 feet MSL, and 60 nautical miles northwest of the airport he mentioned to his passenger that the right main fuel gauge, which feeds the rear engine, seemed to be reading lower than usual. The pilot switched over to the right aux tank, but two to three minutes later the rear engine started to cough. The pilot then switched back to the right main tank. Approximately 20 nautical miles from the destination airport the front engine began to fail from lack of fuel. The pilot attempted to crossfeed the front engine to the right main tank as the engine was starting to quit. Unable to keep the front engine running, the pilot feathered the front propeller. As the pilot was about to make a radio call on the airport's Unicom frequency, the rear engine began to fail from lack of fuel. The pilot feathered the rear propeller, retracted the flaps, reduced airspeed, and began looking for a forced landing site. The right seat passenger began to manually pump the gear down, but deciding that there was no suitable road within gliding range, the pilot elected to make a wheels up landing in a field. Touching down fairly hard and fast, the airplane spun 90 degrees to the left and began sliding sideways before coming to a stop in an upright position. There was no post-impact fire and neither the pilot or passenger sustained injury.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,767 hours in all; 1,032 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 1,590 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 11, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 2003; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3U2 Yellow Pine ID at 8:00 pm
- Destination: U59 Driggs ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 21 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from RXE, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.