Cessna 172M accident near St. Anthony, Idaho, January 27, 1988
On January 27, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N2320E, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Anthony, Idaho (Stanford Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- St. Anthony, Idaho · Stanford Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N2320E · registry record · serial 17271232
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING ONTO THE 50 FOOT WIDE SNOW COVERED RUNWAY, DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST WITH THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTING TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY, STRIKING A SNOW BERM, AND THEN NOSING OVER INVERTED.
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: 82 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 46 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,685 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IDA Idaho Falls ID at 4:30 pm
- Destination: U12 St. Anthony ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,510 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from IDA, 42 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2320E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,687 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 83 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Stanford Field · nearest airport
- Idaho Falls Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 288 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA88LA041.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.