Piper PA-18-150 accident near Lewiston, Idaho, November 1, 2009
On November 1, 2009 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N82213, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Lewiston, Idaho (Pinnacle 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 delayed decision to execute a go-around in gusting winds and with up-sloping terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 2009 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Idaho · Pinnacle · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N82213 · registry record · serial 18-8009031
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was making a visual-flight-rules approach to an 800-foot-long remote airstrip, overflew the runway to observe the windsock. Because he observed the windsock hanging limp, he assumed that the winds around the runway were calm, and therefore continued his approach. About the time he reached the approach end of the uphill-sloping runway, the airplane encountered a strong tailwind gust, which pushed it "…too far up the strip to land." The pilot therefore executed a go-around, but his decision was "too late" and he was therefore unable to outclimb the terrain on the departure end of the runway. During the go-around sequence, the airplane's landing gear came in contact with brush and it flipped over onto its back. Ground witnesses told the pilot that all morning the winds had been variable in direction and had been changing rapidly from nearly calm to gusting as high as 20 miles per hour.
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 during takeoff/land during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,101 hours in all; 567 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 7, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 992 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S80 Grangeville ID at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 0ID8 Grangeville ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.
Other NTSB records under N82213 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.