Cessna T206H accident near Lewiston, Idaho, January 18, 2026
On January 18, 2026 at about 5:14 pm local time, a 2015 Cessna T206H, registered N465CS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lewiston, Idaho (Lewiston/Nez Perce County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in hard, bounced landing and subsequent tail strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2026 · about 5:14 pm local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Idaho · Lewiston/Nez Perce County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206H, built 2015 · all T206Hs on the register
- Registration
- N465CS · registry record · serial T20609165
- 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 airplane reported that after descending through a cloud layer on an instrument approach, he acquired the airport environment and continued the approach to land in visual meteorological conditions. During the landing flare, the airplane landed hard and then bounced. On subsequent landing the empennage struck the runway surface, followed by the nose wheel, which resulted in a tire blowout. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Tailstrike during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 523 hours in all; 458 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 448 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 2025; 1,191.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,789 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AJ1A (piston); 596 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8S4 Enterprise OR at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 6,511 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.33 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 am from LWS
Weather report (METAR): KLWS 231656Z 29004KT 10SM OVC035 M01/M04 A3033 RMK AO2 SLP288 T10061044 $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR26LA117.