Cessna 172D accident near Glenns Ferry, Idaho, April 10, 1999
On April 10, 1999 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172D, registered N2650U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glenns Ferry, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of both pilots to see-and-avoid wires crossing the river. Factors included: transmission wires; inattention of both pilots to the aircraft's flight path; and the pilots' low-altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 1999 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Glenns Ferry, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172D · all 172Ds on the register
- Registration
- N2650U · no longer on the register · serial 17250250
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilots reported that while cruising up a river, one of the passengers spotted a coyote on the river bank and all the aircraft occupants turned to look at it. When the pilot-in-command (the left-seat pilot) directed his attention back to the front of the aircraft, he spotted unmarked powerlines crossing the river and warned the flying pilot (a non-current private pilot in the right front seat). The right-seat pilot pulled back on the control yoke, but the left-seat pilot stated it appeared to him that this would take them directly into the wires and he therefore pushed the yoke forward. The aircraft struck the wires, losing 1/3 of its vertical tail and 1/2 of its rudder; however, control of the aircraft was maintained. After climbing and performing a stability check and a simulated landing, the pilots returned to the departure airport and landed without further incident. Terrain in the vicinity of the powerline crossing is about 200 feet above the elevation of an airport on the river bank 2 1/2 miles upstream.
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: 106 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 58 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 1999; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U76 Mountain Home ID at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 06U Jackpot NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N2650U 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.