Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601
Tuesady, November 8, 1994 18:13 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PRIVATE PILOT, WHO WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED, RECEIVED AN ACCURATE WEATHER BRIEFING FOR A CROSS COUNTRY BUSINESS FLIGHT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT NIGHT. DURING THE FLIGHT, THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WORSENED, AS FORECAST. THE PILOT WAS TOLD OF THE WORSENING CONDITIONS. HE REPORTED TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) THAT HE WAS ENTERING OBSCURATION AND EVENTUALLY LOST GROUND CONTACT. THE REPORTED WEATHER CONDITIONS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE INDICATED THAT THE CLOUDS, SNOW, AND GUSTING WINDS EXISTED AT THE ALTITUDE THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING. ATC PROVIDED VECTORS, BUT THE PILOT GRADUALLY DESCENDED AND VEERED TOWARD RISING TERRAIN. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE THEN ENCOUNTERED A STRONG DOWNDRAFT AND THAT HE COULD NOT CLIMB FASTER THAN THE RISING TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A TREE NEAR THE 7,200 FOOT LEVEL OF A MOUNTAIN. THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND WAS RESCUED 22 HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED. NO PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE REPORTED.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE VFR PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE WITH THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN BELOW HIM. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS A DOWNDRAFT.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 11/8/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1813 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | KLAMATH FALLS |
| Event State | OREGON |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 97601 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 11 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1755 Pacific Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 170 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | LMT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 4092 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 16 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 1200 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 7 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 3 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 160 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 16 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 22 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2009 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Nov 8 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1830 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 12:39PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N584WA |
| NTSB Number | SEA95FA018 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 172N |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 172N |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 17271944 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2400 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 30 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 25 |
| Airframe Hours | 8433 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WEBBER, C.L. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 5612 WEST MARIE |
| Aircraft Owner City | PASCO |
| Aircraft Owner State | WA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99301 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | KENNEWICK AIRCRAFT, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 6951 GRANDRIDGE BOULEVARD |
| Operator City | KENNEWICK |
| Operator State | WA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 99336 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | S22 |
| Departure City | HERMISTON |
| Departure State | OR |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1505 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | LMT |
| Destination City | KLAMATH FALLS |
| Destination State | OR |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |