Emmett Municipal Airport: Emmett, Idaho

Airport is located 3 miles south west of Emmett, Idaho.

Accident occurred Sunday, June 21, 2009 in Emmett, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/10/2009
Aircraft: STUCKER VIRGIL A AVID MAGNU, registration: N777DV
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot was landing almost directly into a headwind, and as he neared the approach end of the runway for a full-stop landing he noticed that the airplane was sinking at a higher rate than he wanted it to. He therefore added power in order to decrease the rate of descent. The addition of power was not sufficient to significantly reduce the sink rate, and the airplane contacted the runway hard and bounced back into the air. After the airplane bounced back into the air, the pilot did not maintain runway alignment and when it touched down again it was off the side of the runway. During this second touchdown, the nosewheel hit first and collapsed. Immediately thereafter, one of the wings impacted the terrain, resulting in substantial damage to its structure. According to the pilot, there were no anomalies associated with the airplane's flight control system.

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

The pilot's improper landing flare and recovery from a bounced landing.
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Accident occurred Thursday, June 22, 2006 in Emmett, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/3/2006
Aircraft: Unknown Challenger II, registration: None
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot reported that he had about 500 hours flight time in ultralights including time in a Challenger I, but he had not previously flown a Challenger II. Before the flight, he reviewed the Challenger II owner's manual and found that it recommended use of full flapperons for takeoff. Therefore, he set full flapperons. After takeoff, as the airplane over flew the end of the runway, it "stopped" climbing. The pilot attempted to raise the flaperrons, but could not reach the crank handle, which was located above and behind his head. He was "able to keep nose level at full throttle" and executed an off-airport landing in a hay field. During the ground roll in the soft terrain, the nose landing gear collapsed.

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

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control, which resulted in an off-airport landing. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane and the soft terrain.
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Accident occurred Saturday, December 24, 2005 in Emmett, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/30/2006
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-151, registration: N5695V
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The pilot was descending through 6,500 feet mean sea level when the engine lost power. With the left fuel gage indicating 5 gallons and the right gage 6 gallons, the pilot was successful in restarting the engine, but only momentarily before it lost power a second time. Diverting to another airport, which the pilot believed was equipped with pilot controlled lighting, the pilot clicked his mike 7 times to illuminate the runway lights. However, ground fog in the area precluded him from locating the airport. After the pilot attempted a second restart of the engine, which was unsuccessful, he entered the fog but could see some ground reference with the aid of faint house lights in the area. The airplane subsequently touched down in a field with the left wing impacting a fence post and separating from the airplane. The aircraft came to rest on its right side after its left wing separated from the fuselage, and there was no postcrash fire. A post accident
examination of the airplane revealed no fuel present in the right wing and 3.2 gallons of fuel in the left tank, of which 2.2 gallons was usable. The fuel selector was in the right tank position.

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

The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision by failing to refuel while en route, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of power. A factor was the fence post.
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Accident occurred Saturday, May 21, 2005 in Emmett, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/27/2005
Aircraft: North American Navion, registration: N8874H
Injuries: 1 Minor, 1 Uninjured.

During cruise flight, the engine experienced a partial loss of power, and although there was some power being produced by the engine, it was not enough to maintain level flight. The pilot therefore turned on the fuel boost pump and switched tanks, but the situation did not change. He therefore attempted to find a suitable landing area, but he came up short of the only acceptable landing area, a golf course, and impacted a pole as he was touching down on a street just outside of the golf course boundaries. A post-accident inspection revealed that there was air leaking into the fuel system through a worn fuel selector valve stem and a hardened and brittle fuel selector valve O-ring.

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

The partial loss of engine power during cruise flight as a result of air being sucked into the fuel system due to a worn fuel selector valve stem and a hardened and brittle fuel selector valve O-ring. Factors include no suitable landing area within the aircraft's reduced power gliding distance, and a pole at the location where the pilot found it necessary to make an emergency landing.