No fatalities

Instructional Flight Encounters Sprinklers, Strikes Fence and Ridge During Go-Around

Salmon, ID, United States

On July 16, 2019, a Cessna 182 Q was involved in an aviation accident near Salmon, ID. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's delayed decision to abort the landing on a wet grass runway and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Contributing to the accident was the wet runway which degraded braking. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot under instruction reported sprinklers dousing the windscreen during a landing on a high altitude grass runway. Ineffective brakes led to an aborted landing, during which the airplane struck a fence and scraped a ridge before landing safely with substantial damage.

Incident Summary

A pilot receiving instruction reported that during a landing on a high altitude, grass runway, water from sprinklers obscured the windscreen to the extent that forward visibility was severely compromised. The pilot applied the brakes, but they were reported to be ineffective, causing the airplane to slide without reducing speed. In response, the pilot chose to abort the landing and initiated a go-around. During the go-around, the airplane collided with a perimeter fence at the end of the runway. Shortly thereafter, the airplane scraped the top of a ridge. Despite these impacts, the airplane maintained flight capability and landed at a nearby airstrip without any further incidents.

Damage

The airplane suffered substantial damage to its fuselage and horizontal stabilizer.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane prior to the event that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotInstructor/check pilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on equipment