Primary finding
Probable cause
the pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. The soft terrain and high vegetation were related factors.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
While flying near the Owyhee Reservoir, the pilot decided to land on a dirt road. He flew over the road to check its condition and concluded it was safe for a landing. As the airplane touched down, the pilot realized that the surface was deep soft mud. He attempted to abort the landing, but a wing hit tall vegetation near the side of the road.
Source record
Factual narrative
On December 17, 1995, approximately 1530 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 172, N143JP, collided with the terrain during an aborted off-field landing near Owyhee Reservoir, Oregon. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which departed Caldwell, Idaho, about 30 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and the ELT was activated by the pilot after the aircraft came to rest. According to the pilot, while flying near Owyhee Reservoir, he made the decision to land on a dirt road. He overflew the road to check its condition, and concluded it was safe to land on. As the aircraft touched down on the road, the pilot realized that the surface was deep soft mud, and therefore attempted to abort the landing. He added power and attempted to get the aircraft airborne, but one of the wings impacted tall vegetation near the side of the road. -