Piper PA-28-140 accident near Coolin, Idaho, June 16, 2013
On June 16, 2013 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N199, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Coolin, Idaho (Cavanaugh Bay 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 failure to maintain an adequate glide path, which led to a runway excursion and collision with objects.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2013 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Coolin, Idaho · Cavanaugh Bay Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N199 · registry record · serial 28-20568
- 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 prior to arrival at the airport he received a calm wind report from a nearby airport. After turning right base for landing, he realized that he was too close in to the runway, so he reduced the power to idle, turned a 0.5-nautical-mile final approach, and added three notches of flaps. Prior to touchdown, he realized that he was running out of runway, and that it was too late to go around due to obstacles (trees) at the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently touched down, and the pilot retracted the flaps, turned off the ignition, and applied the brakes. The pilot tried to ground loop the airplane, but the landing gear struck one of the horizontal log railings at the end of the runway. The airplane bounced onto and skidded across an asphalt road and into some scrub brush and saplings. The left wing and all three landing gear separated. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 area overshoot during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,026 hours in all; 4,936 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 5,019 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 11, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,286 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 2012; 44 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U70 Cascade ID at 9:05 pm
- Destination: 66S Coolin ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 3,100 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from SZT, 17 miles away
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 N199 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR13CA273.