Camas County Airport: Fairfield, Idaho

Airport is located south of Fairfield, Idaho.

Accident occurred Saturday, September 08, 2007 in Fairfield, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/31/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 182G, registration: N2420R
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
During the pre-flight inspection, the pilot did not visually check the quantity of fuel in the airplane's tanks. Approximately 2 hours into the flight, the engine lost power, and the pilot executed a forced landing to a clearing filled with sand, gravel and brush. During the landing roll, the nose wheel sank into the sand, and the nose landing gear separated. An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and found no fuel in either the left or right fuel tank or in the header tank just forward of the firewall. Additionally, no fuel was present at the fuel injector spider on top of the engine. The inspector noted no evidence of fuel leakage onto the ground at the accident site or on the outer skins of the airplane.

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

The loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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Accident occurred Thursday, May 17, 2007 in Fairfield, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/25/2007
Aircraft: Cessna 170B, registration: N2778C
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot said that he entered the traffic pattern for a full stop landing. He set the airplane up for landing with two notches of flaps, and while turning from base to final, the airspeed got low and the airplane stalled. The pilot attempted to recover but the aircraft impacted a field adjacent to the airport. The left landing gear collapsed and the airplane spun 180 degrees from its impact heading. The airplane's fuselage/empennage were wrinkled and bent approximately 35 degrees, and the engine mount and firewall were bent.

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

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while turning from base to final, resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush and subsequent collision with terrain.