Cessna 182Q accident near Warren, Idaho, July 26, 2014
On July 26, 2014 at about 2:15 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 182Q, registered N624M, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (into takeoff position) near Warren, Idaho (Warren Usfs 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 attempt to depart on an unpaved road, which he mistook for the unpaved runway. Contributing to the accident was the fact that the road and the runway were conjoined for the first few hundred feet of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2014 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Warren, Idaho · Warren Usfs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q Q, built 1978 · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N624M · registry record · serial 18266624
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot/owner planned to fly to at least two back country airports in a neighboring state. His first destination was an unpaved United States Forest Service strip. The runway, designated 11/29, was reported to be 2,765 feet long and 50 feet wide. It was located in a narrow valley, and situated about 30 feet southwest of the main road that transited the valley. An unpaved road exited the main road immediately southeast of the threshold of runway 29, and then turned northwest to initially merge with the runway. About 300 feet northwest of the threshold, the unpaved road diverged slightly southwest of the runway, before assuming a track separate from but parallel to the runway. The pilot landed uneventfully on runway 11, and since the wind was calm, planned to depart from runway 29. He taxied to the end, turned around, and idled for a few minutes while reviewing the next flight leg. He then began his takeoff roll on what he believed to be runway 29, and at some point the left main tire struck a hole. The airplane veered to the left, and the left wingtip struck trees. This resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain directional control. The airplane veered further left, struck additional trees, and came to rest oriented about 90 degrees from the runway heading. The wings and fuselage sustained substantial damage, but the pilot was uninjured. Subsequent to the accident, the pilot recognized that he had inadvertently tracked the unpaved road instead of the runway for the takeoff attempt. Review of photographs of the runway environment indicated that the conjoined runway and road was conducive to such confusion. Commercial and Federal Aviation Administration documents contained a notation that the road crossed the runway about 800 feet from the threshold of runway 11, but the documents did not contain any information regarding the conjoining of the road and runway at the threshold of runway 29, or any remarks regarding the potential for confusion of the two. Subsequent to the accident, the Idaho Transportation Department added a cautionary note regarding the road to its Airport Facility Directory.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during taxi (into takeoff position) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › (general) › Availability of related info
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 499 hours in all; 395 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 401 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 4, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,498 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 550 SERIES (piston); 63 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3U1 Warren ID
- Destination: A05 Dixie ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,765 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.