Cessna 172 N8184B accident near Emmett, Idaho

Probable cause

The failure of both pilots to see and avoid each other during cruise flight, which resulted in a midair collision.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot of a red and white Cessna was conducting a personal local flight. The pilot reported that, about 10 minutes into the flight, the pilot of an unknown aircraft contacted him over the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) and stated "we almost got you." However, the pilot later reported that he had not heard any previous communications from other aircraft in the local area on the CTAF, that he did not observe any aircraft nearby at the time of the radio call, and that he did not feel any sudden movement of the airplane, so he chose to continue the flight. He landed about 40 minutes later at his originating airport.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the rudder, which displayed a lateral tear and a blue paint mark at the trailing edge of the control surface. Although the pilot did not feel any sudden movement of the airplane, the blue paint mark and rudder damage indicates that his airplane's rudder was contacted by another object during the flight.

The unknown pilot's statement, "we almost got you," suggests that the unknown pilot also might not have been aware that the two aircraft actually collided; however, this could not be confirmed because the pilot and other aircraft were never identified.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR16LA146 for the full record.