Cessna 172M accident near Dixie, Idaho, May 3, 2008
On May 3, 2008 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N20406, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Dixie, Idaho (Wilson Bar 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the vegetation during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2008 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dixie, Idaho · Wilson Bar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N20406 · registry record · serial 17261265
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing from an unimproved, mountain airstrip. During the takeoff ground roll, he moved the airplane to the right in order to miss some rocks that were on the airstrip. In the initial climb, the outboard portion of the right wing then collided with brush-like vegetation that had grown into the departure path. The pilot then flew the airplane to an airport where maintenance personnel examined the airplane. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported structural damage to the right wing.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Not specified
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway/landing area condition › Decision related to condition
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 152 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ID76 Wilson Bar ID
- Destination: 169 Chewela WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 1,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from KMYL, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N20406 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA08CA126.