Piper PA-22-150 accident near Challis, Idaho, August 13, 1996
On August 13, 1996 at about 1:45 am local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N7507D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Challis, Idaho (Challis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
corrosion in the left main landing gear cluster, which resulted in a failure of the left main landing gear. Inadequate inspection by undetermined maintenance personnel was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 1996 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Challis, Idaho · Challis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N7507D · registry record · serial 22-5234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was landing to the south with the wind from the west. The aircraft drifted to the right and went off the runway. Subsequently, the left wing was damaged, and damage was found at the left landing gear cluster on the fuselage. The pilot stated that he believed that the landing gear may have sustained damage during his last departure. The departure airstrip was rough with broken bunch grass. The pilot said everything appeared fine until the aircraft touched down at the destination, where it was uncontrollable and ground-looped to the right. Examination revealed that three of the support tubes on the left main landing gear cluster were corroded and had preexisting bending and failures, which were attributed to a landing gear failure. Reportedly, the area was accessible for inspection.
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: 450 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Magic Valley ID
- Destination: U15
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N7507D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA96LA197.