Cessna 150 accident near Nampa, Idaho, June 12, 2009
On June 12, 2009 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N5504E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Nampa, Idaho (Nampa Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions and failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2009 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nampa, Idaho · Nampa Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N5504E · no longer on the register · serial 17004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings in the tail wheel equipped airplane. He reported that the wind direction changed to a quartering tailwind after the airplane touched down. The pilot stated that he then lost directional control of the airplane and did not believe he had sufficient engine power to recover. During the accident sequence the left main landing gear failed and the airplane ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions prior to the accident.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Sudden wind shift › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Sudden wind shift › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,639 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 112 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 2,431 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 5, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 2008; 69 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID at 8:30 pm
- Destination: S67 Nampa ID
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 29, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 pm from EUL, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.