Cessna 180 accident near Pistol Creek, Idaho, October 8, 2009
On October 8, 2009 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1674C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Pistol Creek, Idaho (Pistol Creek 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 separation of one of the airplane's main landing gear legs during landing in variable gusting wind conditions, due to the nut being stripped from the attachment bolt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2009 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pistol Creek, Idaho · Pistol Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1674C · registry record · serial 30374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing at a remote dirt/grass airstrip where the winds were gusting and variable in direction. Although the touchdown was normal, as he made rudder and brake inputs to maintain directional control, the right main gear leg separated from its mounting structure, and the right wing sustained substantial damage when it contacted the terrain. An inspection of the gear leg attachment hardware determined that the nut on the gear leg attachment bolt had been stripped from the bolt, thus allowing the bolt to come out of the attachment structure. During the pilot's initial contact with the NTSB Investigator-In-Charge, the pilot stated that the airplane's right brake had failed during the landing roll, but in a follow-up interview the pilot stated that he believes that the brake was working fine until the moment the gear leg separated from its mount.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Failure
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Variable wind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 25,115 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 19, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,295 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Emmett ID at 8:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Pistol Creek ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.