Cessna 182D accident near Stibnite, Idaho, August 30, 1986
On August 30, 1986 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182D, registered N8778X, was destroyed in an accident near Stibnite, Idaho (Indian Creek (Usfs) airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 30, 1986 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Stibnite, Idaho · Indian Creek (Usfs) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8778X · no longer on the register · serial 18253178
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, THE PILOT PREMATURELY TURNED ON COURSE TO A NORTHERLY HEADING, INTENDING TO CROSS OVER A RIDGE LINE. SHORTLY AFTER THE TURN, AND WHILE FLYING UP A DRAINAGE AREA TOWARDS RISING TERRAIN, HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT CONDITION WHICH REDUCED THE AIRCRAFT'S CLIMB PERFORMANCE. ITS CLIMB PERFORMANCE HAD ALREADY BEEN AGGRAVATED BY HIGHER THAN USUAL DENSITY ALTITUDE CONDITIONS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES WHILE THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE COURSE.
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
- Flight time: 380 hours in all; 199 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 331 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,002 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1986; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S81 at 5:45 pm
- Destination: U79 Chamberlain Bas ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Observation at 5:50 pm from SMN, 55 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 2 |
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.