Cessna 182G N3134S

Summary

On 25 July 1997 at about 19:10 local time, a Cessna 182G registered N3134S was involved in an accident near Big Creek, Idaho, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 1997 at 19:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Creek, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Root Ranch Airstrip

Coordinates

45.0193, -115.5191

Aircraft

Cessna 182G

Registration

N3134S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flying B Ranch → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA97LA177

2 people died.

The flightcrew's failure to maintain clearance from trees. A factor was trees north of the departure end of the airstrip.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was being conducted for the purposes of providing mountain flight instruction to the pilot/aircraft owner, who was from California. A highly experienced local mountain/backcountry flight instructor was aboard. The aircraft was observed to approach a north-south oriented private backcountry airstrip, south to north, at slow speed about 100 to 150 feet above the ground. About 1/3 of the way down the 1,900-foot-long airstrip, the pilot/owner, observed sitting in the left seat, dropped a small package out of the left side window. Witnesses then heard the engine power increase. The airplane continued north in level flight, then began a left turn. The aircraft was then seen to strike a line of 60- to 80-foot-tall trees about 1,400 feet north of the departure end while in a left bank. Following the tree strike, the aircraft went into a sharp left turn, went steeply nose down, and impacted the ground. No evidence of aircraft or engine malfunction was found in on-scene or follow-up examinations of the wreckage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.