Maule M-4 accident near Cascade, Idaho, June 2, 2021
On June 2, 2021 at about 4:05 pm local time, a 1964 Maule M-4, registered N4718T, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Cascade, Idaho (Mahoney Creek 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 failure to maintain clearance from a ditch, which resulted in impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2021 · about 4:05 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Cascade, Idaho · Mahoney Creek Usfs · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-4, built 1964 · all M-4s on the register
- Registration
- N4718T · registry record · serial 61
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after landing, and during taxi to the end of the runway to turn around to park, he did not see a deep steep ditch at the end of the runway. The airplane traveled into the ditch as the pilot applied full right rudder and full right brake in an attempt to turn, however, the airplane continued to slide into the ditch where the left-wing impact terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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 on ground during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,045 hours in all; 615 in this make and model; 24.4 in the last 90 days; 24.4 in the last 30 days; 977 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 17, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,750.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2020; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 2,656 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 85U Soldier Bar ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 2,150 ft by 15 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 am from KLLJ, 33 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLLJ 021555Z AUTO 06003KT 10SM CLR 21/06 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP136 T02060061=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 26, 2021. 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 | Accident Photos | 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
- N4718T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule M-4 207 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,345 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300-A 15 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mahoney Creek Usfs Airport · nearest airport
- Soldier Bar Usfs Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,198 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR21LA229.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.