Piper PA-38-112 accident near Grangeville, Idaho, May 28, 2009
On May 28, 2009 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N25353, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Grangeville, Idaho (Grangeville 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
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle during taxi.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2009 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Grangeville, Idaho · Grangeville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N25353 · no longer on the register · serial 38-80A0115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot landed the airplane and exited the runway at a taxiway. As he taxied the airplane to a fueling facility he inadvertently turned onto a roadway designated for automobile traffic. A short time later he became distracted by an automobile, and the left wing struck a sign post. The airplane then departed the roadway and came to rest in a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing during the accident sequence.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 19 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 29, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,843 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S73 Kamiah ID at 5:00 pm
- Destination: S80 Grangeville ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 5,101 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from LWS, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N25353 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.