Cessna 180B accident near Dixie, Idaho, September 3, 1988
On September 3, 1988 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 180B, registered N5085E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dixie, Idaho (Dixie Town airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- September 3, 1988 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Dixie, Idaho · Dixie Town · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180B · all 180Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5085E · no longer on the register · serial 18050385
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON FINAL APCH TO LAND AT THE HIGH ALT ARPT, THE PLT ELECTED TO GO AROUND & LAND AT A SLOWER SPEED. HE RPRTD THAT AS HE NEARED THE RWY ON THE 2ND APCH, THE ACFT ENCTRD A SUDDEN WIND SHEAR, WHICH CAUSED IT TO DROP & BANK TO THE LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT WING STRUCK A TREE & THE ACFT CRASHED. THE DENSITY ALT AT THE ARPT WAS COMPUTED TO BE APRX 9000 FT.
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: 1,640 hours in all; 376 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 1987; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U79 at 9:30 pm
- Destination: Dixie ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:51 pm
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.
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.