Gooding Municipal Airport: Gooding, Idaho

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

Accident occurred Saturday, March 12, 2005 in Gooding, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/8/2005
Aircraft: Cessna 172, registration: N5953A
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The pilot used a hand held wind meter at a location near mid-field to determine that the wind was "blowing 240 to 260 magnetic at 20 to 27 knots." He then preflighted the airplane, taxied out, and completed an engine run-up. After the run-up, he taxied south on the perpendicular taxiway leading onto the departure end of runway 25. As the airplane neared the centerline of the runway and the pilot was initiating a right turn to align it with the runway, he "began to experience strong wind from 250 degrees." The pilot applied full right rudder and brake and then applied full throttle in an attempt to turn the airplane into the wind. He was unsuccessful, and the left wing struck the runway followed by the propeller. At this point, the pilot reduced power. The wind pushed the airplane downwind (east) until the left wingtip dug into soft dirt off the end of the runway. The wind then blew the airplane over, and it came to rest inverted about 10 feet east of the
runway threshold. Both wings, the vertical stabilizer and the rudder sustained structural damage.

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

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions which resulted in a loss of control during taxi. A contributing factor was the wind gusts.