Cessna 172 accident near Gooding, Idaho, March 12, 2005
On March 12, 2005 at about 7:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5953A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gooding, Idaho (Gooding Municipal airport). 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 inadequate compensation for the wind conditions which resulted in a loss of control during taxi. A contributing factor was the wind gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 2005 · about 7:35 pm local time
- Place
- Gooding, Idaho · Gooding Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5953A · registry record · serial 28553
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot used a hand held wind meter at a location near mid-field to determine that the wind was "blowing 240 to 260 magnetic at 20 to 27 knots." He then preflighted the airplane, taxied out, and completed an engine run-up. After the run-up, he taxied south on the perpendicular taxiway leading onto the departure end of runway 25. As the airplane neared the centerline of the runway and the pilot was initiating a right turn to align it with the runway, he "began to experience strong wind from 250 degrees." The pilot applied full right rudder and brake and then applied full throttle in an attempt to turn the airplane into the wind. He was unsuccessful, and the left wing struck the runway followed by the propeller. At this point, the pilot reduced power. The wind pushed the airplane downwind (east) until the left wingtip dug into soft dirt off the end of the runway. The wind then blew the airplane over, and it came to rest inverted about 10 feet east of the runway threshold. Both wings, the vertical stabilizer and the rudder sustained structural damage.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,035 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GNG Gooding ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 22 knots, gusting 27
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°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.