Piper PA-28-151 accident near Bruneau, Idaho, November 7, 1996
On November 7, 1996 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N32518, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bruneau, Idaho (Dirt Road (Off Airport)). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to perform adequate preflight planning to ensure that the aircraft could complete a takeoff in the distance available. Factors relating to the accident included: a short takeoff area, and a dirt bank at the end of the road from which the pilot attempted to depart.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1996 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bruneau, Idaho · Dirt Road (Off Airport) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N32518 · registry record · serial 28-7515174
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed on a short stretch of dirt road because of the physiological needs of his passengers. He did not perform takeoff distance calculations prior to attempting the takeoff to ensure that the aircraft could successfully depart from the available surface. During the attempted takeoff, the aircraft reached the end of the available road prior to liftoff, and impacted a dirt bank. The force of the impact folded the nose gear aft and tore the right main gear from the right wing.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,675 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 3,561 as pilot in command; 254 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,590 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rocky Mountain Air
The flight
- Destination: S67 Nampa ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,500 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.