Cessna 340 accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho, March 17, 1982
On March 17, 1982 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna 340, registered N340RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho (Fanning 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1982 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Idaho Falls, Idaho · Fanning · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340 · all 340s on the register
- Registration
- N340RA · registry record · serial 3400002
- 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 DURING AN ILS APPROACH, HE BROKE OUT AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL. HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT PROPERLY ARREST THE SINK RATE AND STRUCK THE RUNWAY. HE ALSO STATED THAT THERE PROBABLY WAS SOME ICE UNDER THE WINGS THAT HAD ACCUMULATED DURING CLIMB-OUT OR DURING A MISSED APPROACH THAT WAS MADE ON A PREVIOUS APPROACH. THE TEMPERATURE AT IDAHO FALLS WAS 33 DEGREES.
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: 727 hours in all; 335 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 566 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,532 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 172 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 5:20 pm
- Destination: M07 Searcy AR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 20, 9,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 11 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:19 pm from IDA
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.