Cessna 172N accident near Buhl, Idaho, October 12, 1998
On October 12, 1998 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6486J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buhl, Idaho (Buhl Municipal 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
The pilot's failure to follow the aircraft's recommended balked landing procedure, resulting in a stall. Factors include the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing flare, the pilot's lack of total experience, and insufficient altitude available for stall recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1998 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Buhl, Idaho · Buhl Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6486J · registry record · serial 17273877
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing flare, the aircraft ballooned upward and the student pilot added power to regain control. The aircraft then drifted to the north side of the runway so the pilot elected to make a go-around. Full power was added and the flaps were raised from full (40 degrees) to zero. The stall warning horn sounded and the aircraft dropped, impacting terrain to the side of the runway. According to the Cessna 172N Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), the aircraft's recommended balked landing procedure is to raise the flaps to 20 degrees, obtain a climb speed of 55 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), raise flaps to 10 degrees until obstacles are cleared, and completely retract flaps at a safe altitude and 60 KIAS. The airplane's wings-level stall speed ranges from approximately 41 KIAS (47 knots calibrated airspeed [KCAS]) with full flaps to approximately 47 KIAS (53 KCAS) with flaps up. Maximum altitude loss during a stall recovery in the Cessna 172N may be as much as 180 feet. The student pilot, who received his initial solo endorsement 11 days before the accident, reported his total time as 14 hours.
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: 14 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,100 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 17, 1998; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TWF Twin Falls ID at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,900 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from TWF, 15 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N6486J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.