Cessna 150G accident near Hailey, Idaho, March 26, 1998
On March 26, 1998 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N3719J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hailey, Idaho (Friedman Memorial airport). It was an instructional 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
A fractured nosewheel steering linkage bolt, which permitted the nosewheel steering linkage to become disconnected, and the student pilot's subsequent failure to restore directional control by use of differential wheel braking.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1998 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Hailey, 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 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3719J · registry record · serial 15065019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that after a normal landing with a left crosswind of about 5 knots, the airplane began veering to the left after the nosewheel came down. The pilot stated he attempted to return to centerline using right rudder, but that the airplane kept veering left. The airplane went off the left side of the runway and into snow, where it flipped over. An FAA investigator who performed a post-accident examination found a broken nosewheel steering linkage bolt. The student pilot had about 26 hours total pilot time, including about 4 hours of solo time. The airplane is equipped with wheel brakes actuated by the toes of the rudder pedals.
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: student
- Flight time: 26 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,592 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 26, 1998; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUN ID at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 6,602 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.