Cessna 180 accident near Wallace, Idaho, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4703B, was destroyed in an accident near Wallace, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- August 31, 1986 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wallace, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4703B · no longer on the register · serial 31601
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT RECEIVED WX BRIEF, ADVISED VFR FOR PROPOSED FLT. PLT FILED VFR FLT PLAN AND DEPARTED. WRECKAGE LOCATED 2 DAYS LATER AT CREST OF MOUNTAIN PASS.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,894 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 1986; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 6S5 Hamilton MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Observation at 8:50 pm from S06, 5 miles away
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.