Cessna 152 accident near Kamiah, Idaho, July 10, 2013
On July 10, 2013 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N46566, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Kamiah, Idaho (Kamiah Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during the initial climb, which resulted in a collision with a powerline.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2013 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kamiah, Idaho · Kamiah Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N46566 · no longer on the register · serial 15283074
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that immediately after becoming airborne, the airplane began to bank to the left. Despite her attempts to regain directional control by applying right rudder and forward pressure on the control yoke, the airplane continued to bank to the left and collided with a powerline, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. The airplane came to rest in a field and the powerline was found near the wreckage. The student pilot reported 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
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Not specified
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 19 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,954 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 2013; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Clearwater Valley Aero Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: S73 Kamiah ID at 4:00 pm
- Destination: S73 Kamiah ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,000 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:00 am
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.