Cessna 182G accident near Big Creek, Idaho, July 25, 1997
On July 25, 1997 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna 182G, registered N3134S, was destroyed in an accident near Big Creek, Idaho (Root Ranch Airstrip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flightcrew's failure to maintain clearance from trees. A factor was trees north of the departure end of the airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1997 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Big Creek, Idaho · Root Ranch Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182G · all 182Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3134S · registry record · serial 18255634
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was being conducted for the purposes of providing mountain flight instruction to the pilot/aircraft owner, who was from California. A highly experienced local mountain/backcountry flight instructor was aboard. The aircraft was observed to approach a north-south oriented private backcountry airstrip, south to north, at slow speed about 100 to 150 feet above the ground. About 1/3 of the way down the 1,900-foot-long airstrip, the pilot/owner, observed sitting in the left seat, dropped a small package out of the left side window. Witnesses then heard the engine power increase. The airplane continued north in level flight, then began a left turn. The aircraft was then seen to strike a line of 60- to 80-foot-tall trees about 1,400 feet north of the departure end while in a left bank. Following the tree strike, the aircraft went into a sharp left turn, went steeply nose down, and impacted the ground. No evidence of aircraft or engine malfunction was found in on-scene or follow-up examinations of the wreckage.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,304 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1997; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 79U Flying B Ranch ID
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 1,900 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 185° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:14 pm from SMN, 51 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.