American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC accident near Ashton, Idaho, November 20, 2011
On November 20, 2011 at about 7:30 pm local time, a American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC, registered N131PM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Ashton, Idaho (Private Airstrip, No Name 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 student pilot’s poor decision-making when he decided to land on a snowy grass airstrip, which resulted in an encounter with deep snow during the landing roll and a subsequent nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2011 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Ashton, Idaho · Private Airstrip, No Name · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N131PM · registry record · serial 462-2004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he approached the privately-owned, rough grass airstrip and observed that it was covered with snow. After evaluating the snow’s depth as being only a few inches, the pilot landed. During the landing roll, the airplane decelerated quickly and nosed over, bending the vertical stabilizer, wings, and lift struts. After exiting the airplane, the pilot realized that the snow was between 6- and 8-inches deep. The student pilot’s certified flight instructor reported that he had not endorsed the student’s flight record logbook in over 90 days, and he had not authorized the student to fly to the accident airport. The student was not current in the airplane.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Understanding/comprehension › Student pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 2011; 214 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Ririe ID at 6:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Ashton ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 2,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 5, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Email Hart, CFI to Pollack, NTSB | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N131PM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- American Champion Aircraft 8 Decathlon and Scout 674 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- American Champion Aircraft 1,103 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES 1,069 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR12CA041.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.