Burley Municipal Airport: Burley, Idaho

Airport is located 1 mile north east of Burley, Idaho.

Accident occurred Friday, February 26, 2010 in Dixie, ID
Aircraft: Keller FK1 STOL, registration: N4XK
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On February 26, 2010, about 1015 mountain standard time, an experimental Keller FK1 STOL, N4XK, collided with a Cessna A185F, N1979T, during the landing rollout at the Dixie USFS Airport (A05), Dixie, Idaho. The pilot/owner operated the FK1 under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, as a personal flight. The pilot and passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot/owner operated the Cessna under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, as a personal flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall.

The incident was upgraded to an accident on March 8, 2010, after investigators were able to determine that there had been substantial damage to at least one of the airplanes involved in the ground collision.

Both pilots were interviewed by an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The pilot of the Cessna stated that he had radioed a friend on the ground at Dixie to have him check the snow conditions on the runway for landing. The friend reported that the runway was packed and smooth. The pilot set up for a landing to the north, and after landing was parked at the end of the runway when the FK1 landed. The pilot noted that the landing airplane appeared fast and was not slowing down; however, he remained unconcerned because the FK1 was to the left of his position on the runway. About 100 to 200 feet from his airplane, the FK1 veered to the left directly at him. The pilot reported that the landing airplane collided nearly head on with his airplane.

The pilot of the FK1 reported that the plan for landing at the USFS airstrip was that after landing, the pilot of the Cessna would turn around at the end of the runway and then he would land. When the pilot of the FK1 saw that the Cessna had turned around at the end of the runway, he landed his airplane. The pilot stated that he had performed landings at the same airport the day before with no issues and the runway conditions were packed snow. On the accident landing, he reported that his airplane was not slowing down. He made an effort to use the right side of the runway where the snow as not compact. The pilot stated that within a hundred feet of the Cessna, his airplane (FK1) veered to left directly at the other airplane and collided with it.
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Accident occurred Thursday, June 25, 2009 in Dixie, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/10/2009
Aircraft: MAULE M-5-235C, registration: N725V
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot and his passenger had been traveling across the country visiting backcountry airstrips. They had spent two nights at a backcountry airstrip and decided to go on a day flight to one of the other airstrips in the area that was 1,500 feet in length by 50 feet wide. After surveying the landing area, the pilot stated that, as he neared the approach end of the runway, he was approximately 20 feet above ground level when the airplane dropped straight down. The pilot indicated that his airspeed was slow and that he most likely encountered a downdraft. This resulted in the airplane landing hard on the runway surface, and the airplane porpoised prior to impacting rising terrain and trees. There were no mechanical malfunctions reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while landing.
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Accident occurred Thursday, June 18, 2009 in Dixie, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/10/2009
Aircraft: PIPER PA-18-150, registration: N4155U
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot was making a landing on a dirt landing area that also doubled as the main road in the center of the remote mountain town. He intentionally landed a little long in order to miss the substantial puddle of water near the approach end of the landing area. He began applying brakes while the airplane was going about 20 miles per hour, but his brake application was of sufficient force to result in the airplane nosing over onto its back. The sequence of events resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and one wing lift strut. The pilot said that there was nothing wrong with the braking system, and that he should have either delayed his braking or applied the brakes with "more finesse."

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot's excessive braking during the landing roll.
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Accident occurred Saturday, May 03, 2008 in Dixie, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/30/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172M, registration: N20406
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot was departing from an unimproved, mountain airstrip. During the takeoff ground roll, he moved the airplane to the right in order to miss some rocks that were on the airstrip. In the initial climb, the outboard portion of the right wing then collided with brush-like vegetation that had grown into the departure path. The pilot then flew the airplane to an airport where maintenance personnel examined the airplane. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported structural damage to the right wing.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the vegetation during takeoff.