- Date
- July 31, 2025, 18:43 local (Aug 1, 2025, 01:43 UTC)
- Place
- Kamiah, ID
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N52175Cessna 180J
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Windshear or thunderstorm
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250731011529A
- Case key
- 200703
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 pilot’s loss of airplane control following an encounter with a microburst during takeoff.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that at the time of rotation, the airplane encountered a microburst or strong crosswind that rolled the airplane aggressively to the right, causing the wingtip to drag on the runway. The airplane exited the runway and struck a ditch, where it cartwheeled and sustained substantial damage to the right wing and the tail section. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was taking off on runway 17. The pilot stated that at the time of takeoff, the wind was from 140° to 150° at 5 to 10 miles per hour, with a thunderstorm about 20 miles east. At the time the airplane encountered the crosswind from a microburst the pilot estimated the wind was from 090° at 40 to 45 miles per hour. The airport was not equipped with weather reporting facilities; however, a weather reporting station was located about 40 miles southeast reported about 5 minutes after the accident, wind from 210° at 14 knots, gusting to 29 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52175
- Reported as
- Cessna 180J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052538
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 3,699.1
- Engine
- Continental Northpoint XP470-50, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 2025 · 63 hours before
- Airport
- PVT · Flying Elk, runway 17, 3,100 × 60 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 28, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,798 total · 270 in this make and model · 1,678 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 14 knots, gusting 29
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- KP69, 25 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KP69 010052Z AUTO 21014G29KT 30/09 A2992 RMK AO1 PK WND 22029/0051 PRESRR SLP113 T03000094 $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N52175 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.