- Date
- September 17, 2025, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rigby, ID
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8047FCessna 150F
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 14, 2026
- 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
- 20250917013339A
- Case key
- 201035
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 flight instructor’s improper flap position during takeoff, which resulted in degraded climb performance and a subsequent impact with a building.
Findings · 5
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
According to the flight instructor, the airplane struggled to maintain altitude during its initial climb following takeoff. A witness reported that the wing flaps were fully deployed during takeoff. Subsequently, the airplane clipped several trees and then its left landing gear struck a power line that resulted in a descent and impact with a building. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The flight instructor stated that there were no preimpact mechanical anomalies or malfunctions with the engine that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident review of the accident site photographs revealed that the airplane’s flaps were extended rather than fully retracted as specified in the airplane’s Pilot Operating Handbook.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8047F
- Reported as
- Cessna 150F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15064147
- Built
- 1966
- Airframe hours
- 6,505.7
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 4, 2025
- Departed
- U56 · Rigby, ID
- Airport
- U56 · Rigby Airport, runway 1, 3,727 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 7, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 263 total · 2 in this make and model · 177 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1 total · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- KIDA, 10 nm away
- METAR
- KIDA 171753Z 36005KT 10SM CLR 17/06 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP234 T01720056 10172 20050 58005=
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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 N8047F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.