Cessna 182 accident near Yellowpine, Idaho, August 7, 1998
On August 7, 1998 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N6437A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yellowpine, Idaho (Johnson Creek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Right main landing gear spring strut fatigue, improper maintenance, and subsequent separation of the strut end.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1998 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Yellowpine, Idaho · Johnson Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N6437A · registry record · serial 33237
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon landing the pilot heard a bang and the right wing dropped. The airplane incurred substantial damage during a ground loop maneuver, following the separation of the right main wheel and lower strut end immediately after touchdown. Post-crash examination revealed that the lower end of the right main landing gear spring strut had broken off. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed features characteristic of fatigue cracking in multiple locations. The fatigue cracks originated at the surface of the holes, at the edge between the wall of the hole and flat face of the leg. Separation of the spring strut was caused by fatigue cracks that originated from the surface of the two upper holes. No chamfer was found at the surfaces of the two upper holes. The surface of these holes contained for the most part a corner edge that is a stress raiser and, in turn, this stress raiser sensitized the hole to cracking. The two upper holes most likely were drilled oversize to remove anomalies such as corrosion or fretting damage. The diameter of the oversize holes was sufficient to have removed evidence of the chamfer. There was no airframe log information available which identified any maintenance on the spring strut.
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: 855 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 779 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,022 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1997; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-520-F-T5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 3U2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from MYL, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.