Cessna 182M accident near Inhama, Oregon, July 28, 2025
On July 28, 2025 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1969 Cessna 182M, registered N71879, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Inhama, Oregon (Memaloose Usfs 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 failure to maintain clearance from trees while taxiing, which resulted in a wing strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2025 · about 4:30 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Inhama, Oregon · Memaloose Usfs · 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
- Cessna 182M, built 1969 · all 182Ms on the register
- Registration
- N71879 · registry record · serial 18259789
- 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 after landing he performed a full stop and taxied the airplane back to the departure end of the runway for takeoff. During this time he elected to taxi the airplane on the far left side of the runway to avoid soft terrain. The left wing impacted a tree while he was attempting to maneuver around rocks, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no unknown mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that 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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Heading/course › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 430 hours in all; 173 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 360 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 25, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,172.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 2024; 132 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 6,371 hours total
- Operator: Myl High Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17/3, 3,300 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 65°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 31.20 inHg
- Observation at 8:03 am from KMYL, 41 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of the damage to left-wing leading edge
Photograph 2 – View of internal damage to left-wing leading edge
Photograph 3 – View of damage to left-wing adjacent to wing rootThe 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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on May 14, 2026. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Mor- Pilot Statement to NTSB Duty Officer | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Mor - FAA Damage Assessment | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photos | PDF, 4 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.
Other NTSB records under N71879 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N71879 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Memaloose Usfs Airport · nearest airport
- MC Call Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,012 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N71879 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA241.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.