Cessna 170A accident near Elk City, Idaho, August 31, 1997
On August 31, 1997 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N1487D, was destroyed in an accident near Elk City, Idaho (Copenhaver Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A horse and children wandered onto the airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1997 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Elk City, Idaho · Copenhaver Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N1487D · no longer on the register · serial 20089
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was attempting to land at an 800-foot-long wilderness ranch airstrip, which he described as 'a one way strip with no go around for a plane with only 145 HP.' The pilot reported that on final approach to the strip, he saw two children chasing a horse across the strip from left to right. He stated an adult male then came from the right side of the strip and threw his hands up in front of the horse, stopping the horse on the landing surface. The pilot reported that at this point, with people on both sides of the strip and the horse standing on the strip, he attempted a go-around 'knowing [there] was no way the plane could [climb] out and over the trees and canyon at the end of the runway.' The airplane stalled about 60 feet above ground level and 'came down almost flat' onto a pile of large rocks. The pilot reported that no mechanical failure or malfunction was involved.
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: 260 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,720 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1996; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C145 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Grangeville ID at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 800 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.