Cessna T303 accident near Midvale, Idaho, March 3, 1998
On March 3, 1998 at about 1:05 am local time, a Cessna T303, registered N727RT, was destroyed in an accident near Midvale, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1998 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Midvale, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T303 · all T303s on the register
- Registration
- N727RT · no longer on the register · serial T30300090
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Radar data indicated that the aircraft completed a figure-eight maneuver at about 3,000 feet AGL, with an estimated airspeed of 140 knots and approximate 40 degree bank angle before leveling out at the completion of the maneuver. The radar data then indicated level flight before a rapid descent. A witness reported observing the aircraft in visual conditions and flying at a high altitude and that it 'appeared fast.' The witness stated that he observed the aircraft make a wide, shallow left turn, then turn back the other way. The nose of the aircraft then started to gradually lower, and the airplane eventually came straight down and started to spin. The witness lost sight of the airplane behind hilly terrain and he did not see the impact. Post-accident examination of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft collided with the terrain in a slight nose-down attitude, located in a gully with approximate 30 degree bank angle. The aircraft then slid downhill to the right and came to rest with the fuselage upright and the empennage was twisted to the right and inverted. No evidence was found to indicate a mechanical failure or malfunction.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,743 hours in all; 319 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days; 7,034 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,675 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 27, 1998; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,175 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-AE2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.