Cessna 180 accident near Sun Valley, Idaho, January 31, 1998
On January 31, 1998 at about 1:38 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N180AJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sun Valley, Idaho (Friedman Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent actuation of the parking brake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1998 · about 1:38 am local time
- Place
- Sun Valley, Idaho · Friedman Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N180AJ · no longer on the register · serial 31229
- 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 had landed earlier on a plowed runway with hard-packed snow and ice surface conditions. He believed that while taxiing for turnaround at the end of the runway, the right-hand brake apparently became hydraulically locked due to engagement of the parking brake mechanism on that side. He stated that at no time was the parking brake handle pulled. He said his takeoff on the icy runway seemed normal, and he was completely unaware of the locked condition of the brake at that time. Upon touchdown at Hailey, the airplane immediately veered violently to the right and the brake remained locked. The airplane swerved to the right before nosing over. Investigation determined that the parking brake locking lever on the right brake cylinder was in its overcenter position, locking the brake.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,780 hours in all; 460 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 2,720 as pilot in command; 37 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,820 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 12, 1997; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U93 Magic Reservoir ID at 1:20 am
- Destination: KSUN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 6,602 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:14 am from SUN
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.