Beech T-34 (A-45) accident near Mccall, Idaho, September 28, 2003
On September 28, 2003 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Beech T-34 (A-45), registered N234KC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mccall, Idaho (Mccall Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequacy of the pilot's remedial action taken in an attempt to fly out of an encounter with the wake vortex turbulence created by a preceding aircraft while on short final to land. Factors include calm winds in the area of the final approach course, and the pilot's inadvertent encounter with wake vortex turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2003 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mccall, Idaho · Mccall Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech T-34 (A-45) · all T-34 (A-45)s on the register
- Registration
- N234KC · registry record · serial G789
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon returning to the airport after a local flight, the pilot sequenced himself into the traffic pattern behind an Aviat Husky that was following a De Havilland Beaver. Just after he rolled out on final with his gear down and his flaps retracted for a no-flap landing, the pilot noticed that the Beaver was pulling off of the runway. He therefore continued on final at an airspeed about 10 to 15 knots above the aircraft's no-flap stall speed. As he neared the runway in calm wind conditions, the pilot concluded that the Husky, which had landed just beyond the threshold, would not be exiting the runway before he touched down. He therefore decided to execute a go-around. As he was adding full power, the aircraft encountered a disturbance most likely created by the Beaver, resulting in the left wing suddenly dropping and the aircraft losing about 50 feet of altitude. As the engine revved to full power, the pilot was able get the wings level and stop the altitude loss, but his remedial action was insufficient to fly out of the disturbance, and almost immediately thereafter the right wing dropped and the aircraft fell another 20 feet onto the terrain.
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: 4,200 hours in all; 3,800 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,120 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 5:30 pm
- Destination: MYL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 6,107 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.