Cessna 172RG accident near Blanchard, Idaho, September 6, 2003
On September 6, 2003 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6368R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blanchard, 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 loss of engine oil as a result of the inadequate installation of the idler gear shaft set screw and the lack of a safety wire on the hex head (oil) plug. A contributing factor was the rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2003 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Blanchard, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6368R · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0171
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while climbing there was a loud bang and simultaneously a spray of oil across the front windscreen. Several seconds later smoke began to develop within the cockpit and the pilot secured the engine and executed an off airport landing. The aircraft encountered rough, deeply furrowed terrain on rollout during which the landing gear collapsed. Post crash examination of the aircraft's engine revealed that the three-quarter inch hex head plug at the front of the engine, which retains the propeller governor idler gear shaft, had backed out of its threaded insert. The plug, which was found in the bottom of the engine had no safety wire attached and no safety wire was observed on the tie down point on the engine. The propeller governor idler gear shaft setscrew was loose and the gear shaft itself was missing. With the hex head plug and propeller governor idler gear shaft released, engine oil, under pressure could exit the engine. The engine had been overhauled 248.2 hours prior to the accident and then subsequently repaired for a propeller strike. It could not be determined whether any action related to the safety wiring of the hex plug or any adjustment to the set screw had been conducted at the overhaul or prop strike repair.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,212 hours in all; 193 in this make and model; 154 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,850 as pilot in command; 238 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 5, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 2 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 2002; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFF Spokane WA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: 65S Bonners Ferry ID
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from COE, 13 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.