- Date
- December 17, 1995, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Owyhee, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N143JPCessna 172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 11, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951217048319A
- Case key
- 42318
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
the pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. The soft terrain and high vegetation were related factors.
Analysis
While flying near the Owyhee Reservoir, the pilot decided to land on a dirt road. He flew over the road to check its condition and concluded it was safe for a landing. As the airplane touched down, the pilot realized that the surface was deep soft mud. He attempted to abort the landing, but a wing hit tall vegetation near the side of the road.
Factual narrative
On December 17, 1995, approximately 1530 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 172, N143JP, collided with the terrain during an aborted off-field landing near Owyhee Reservoir, Oregon. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which departed Caldwell, Idaho, about 30 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and the ELT was activated by the pilot after the aircraft came to rest.
According to the pilot, while flying near Owyhee Reservoir, he made the decision to land on a dirt road. He overflew the road to check its condition, and concluded it was safe to land on. As the aircraft touched down on the road, the pilot realized that the surface was deep soft mud, and therefore attempted to abort the landing. He added power and attempted to get the aircraft airborne, but one of the wings impacted tall vegetation near the side of the road.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N143JP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257892
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Prindle, Robin L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- U35 · Caldwell, ID
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 161 total · 19 in this make and model · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.