Amateur-built BEARHAWK accident near Nampa, Idaho, December 16, 2019
On December 16, 2019 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built BEARHAWK, registered N719JS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Nampa, Idaho (Nampa Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in impact with a knoll and a subsequent ground-loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2019 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Nampa, Idaho · Nampa Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BEARHAWK No Series, built 2008
- Registration
- N719JS · registry record · serial 050-91/92-796
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after an uneventful flight, he verified the current weather conditions about 10 miles from the airport and subsequently entered the airport traffic pattern, at which point he chose to land on a grassy area between the runway and taxiway. The airplane touched down normally, but during the landing roll, the pilot saw an obstacle in the middle of the grassy area. The pilot was unable to react before the right main landing gear impacted a knoll, and the airplane ground looped. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 583 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 4.9 in the last 90 days; 2.9 in the last 30 days; 504.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 678.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 2018; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming Engines O-54-B485 (piston); 707 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MAN Nampa ID at 6:20 pm
- Destination: MAN Nampa ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.50 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on January 30, 2020. 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 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversations | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Nampa Airport Policy Excerpt | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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
- N719JS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming Engines O-54-B485 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Nampa Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 288 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR20CA043.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.