Cessna 172 accident near Cascade, Idaho, June 13, 2010
On June 13, 2010 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5720A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Cascade, Idaho (Sulphur Creek 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 encounter with an unknown hole in the runway 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 13, 2010 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cascade, Idaho · Sulphur Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5720A · no longer on the register · serial 28320
- 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 after an uneventful landing, the airplane drifted approximately 20 feet to the left of the runway centerline during the landing roll on the gravel and turf runway. The pilot corrected back to the runway centerline just as the airplane’s nose landing gear dropped into a large unnoticed hole. The airplane came to an immediate stop and sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Airport occurrence during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 332 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 226 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 17, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,832 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 8, 2010; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U72 Challis ID at 2:00 pm
- Destination: ID74 Cascade ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,300 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from MYL, 45 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.