Cessna 150M accident near Buhl, Idaho, May 20, 1999
On May 20, 1999 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N3834V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buhl, Idaho (Buhl Municipal 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
An inadequate recovery from a bounced landing. Gusting wind conditions were a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 1999 · about 4:00 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 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N3834V · no longer on the register · serial 15076634
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the flare for the touch-and-go landing, the airplane was suddenly pushed to the left. The aircraft then landed hard and bounced. The pilot pulled back on the control yoke and the aircraft touched down hard on the nose gear which subsequently collapsed. The pilot was landing on runway 27. The wind was from the southwest at five knots, gusting to 20 knots.
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: 400 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 359 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,469 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 23, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U03 at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,900 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.