Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Molalla, Oregon 97038
Wednesday, December 30, 1987 15:05 PST

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

THE RECENTLY CERTIFICATED, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED, PVT PLT FLEW INTO AN AREA OF LOW CEILINGS, LOW VIS, RAIN & SNW W/O FILING A FLT PLAN. NO RECORD OF A WX BRIEFING WAS FND. A SURVIVING PAX RPRTD THAT DRG FLT, THE PLT FLEW INTO CLDS THAT WERE INITIALLY SCATTERED, BUT AS THE FLT CONTD, THE CLDS BCM THICKER & DARKER. THE PAX SAID THEY FLEW INTO 'ICE CLOUDS.'ICE ACCUMULATED ON THE ACFT & THE ENG BGN TO FALTER. RPRTDLY, CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED TOO LATE TO PREVENT ENG STOPPAGE. A DISTRESS CALL WAS MADE AT 1501 PST. SOON THEREAFTER, THE PLT TRANSMITTED THEY WERE 'GOING DOWN' & THEN RADAR & RADIO CTC WERE LOST. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON MTN TERRAIN & CRASHED. THE EMERG LOCATOR BCN (ELT) DID NOT OPER. THE ACFTWAS NOT FND UNTIL 1012 PST THE NEXT DAY APRX 1 MI FM WHERE RADAR CTCT WAS LOST. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT SNW & ICE HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE ENG AIR FILTER. ICE WAS FND IN THE WIRE SCREEN & PLENUM BHND THE FILTER. CARB HEAT WAS ON. RESIDENTS APRX 5 MI AWAY SAID HVY SNW WAS FALLING. TWO DEFECTIVE TRANSISTORS WERE FND IN THE ELT WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED OPN.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

THE RECENTLY CERTIFICATED, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED, PVT PLT FLEW INTO THE AN AREA OF LOW CEILINGS, LOW VIS, RAIN & SNW W/O FILING A FLT PLAN. NO RECORD OF A WX BRIEFING WAS FND. A SURVIVING PAX RPRTD THAT DRG FLT, THE PLT FLEW INTO CLDS THAT WERE INITIALLY SCATTERED, BUT AS THE FLT CONTD, THE CLDS BCM THICKER & DARKER. THE PAX SAID THEY FLEW INTO 'ICE CLOUDS.'ICE ACCUMULATED ON THE ACFT & THE ENG BGN TO FALTER. RPRTDLY, CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED TOO LATE TO PREVENT ENG STOPPAGE. A DISTRESS CALL WA MADE AT 1501 PST. SOON THEREAFTER, THE PLT TRANSMITTED THEY WERE 'GOING DOWN' & THEN RADAR & RADIO CTC WERE LOST. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON MTN TERRAIN & CRASHED. THE EMERG LOCATOR BCN (ELT) DID NOT OPER. THE ACFTWAS NOT FND UNTIL 1012 PST THE NEXT DAY APRX 1 MI FM WHERE RADAR CTCT WAS LOST. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT SNW & ICE HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE ENG AIR FILTER. ICE WAS FND IN THE WIRE SCREEN & PLENUM BHND THE FILTER. CARB HEAT WAS ON. RESIDENTS APRX 5 MI AWAY SAID HVY SNW WAS FALLING. TWO DEFECTIVE TRANSISTORS WERE FND IN THE ELT WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED OPN.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 12/30/1987
Event Day of the Week Wednesday
Time of Event 1505
Event Time Zone Pacific Standard Time
Event City MOLALLA
Event State OREGON
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 97038
Event Date Year 1987
Event Date Month 12
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 0
Degrees magnetic from airport 0
Airport Elevation --
Weather Briefing Completeness Unknown
Investigator's weather source Witness
Time of the weather observation 1454 Pacific Standard Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 65
Weather Observation Facility ID SLE
Elevation of weather observation facility 209
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 22
Time Zone of the weather observation PST
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height 0
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height 0
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Partial Obscuration
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling Overcast
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) 0
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) 0
Visibility (Statute Miles) 0
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 1
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 1
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 340
Variable Wind Indicator Unknown
Wind Speed (knots) 5
Wind Velocity Indicator Unknown
Wind Gust Indicator Not Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) 0
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 30
Density Altitude (feet) 1280
Intensity of Precipitation Moderate
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 3
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious 1
Injury Total All 4
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 2227
NTSB Notification Source --
NTSB Notification Date Dec 30 1987 12:00AM
NTSB Notification Time 1345
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information 35787
Date of most recent change to record Feb 26 2001 8:08AM
User who most recently changed record dbo
Basic weather conditions Instrument Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N2758F
NTSB Number SEA88FA034
Missing Aircraft Indicator N
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? --
Damage Destroyed
Aircraft Fire None
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name CESSNA
Aircraft Model 182J
Aircraft Series Identifier 182J
Aircraft Serial Number 18256858
Certified Max Gross Weight 2800
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 Annual
Date of Last Inspection Nov 25 1987 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 36
Airframe Hours 1677
ELT Installed Yes
ELT Activated No
ELT Aided Location of Event Site No
ELT Type --
Aircraft Owner Name WALTER BREEDEN
Aircraft Owner Street Address RR 4 P.O. BOX 65C
Aircraft Owner City LEWISBURG
Aircraft Owner State WV
Aircraft Owner Country
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 24901
Operator is an individual? --
Operator Name WALTER W. BREEDEN
Operator Same as Owner? No
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? No
Operator Street Address 300 N. COURT ST. APT 20
Operator City LEWISBURG
Operator State WV
Operator Country
Operator Zip code 24901
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) Personal
Second Pilot on Board No
Departure Point Same as Event No
Departure Airport Code LNS
Departure City LOS BANOS
Departure State CA
Departure Country
Departure Time 1015
Departure Time Zone PST
Destination Same as Local Flt --
Destination Airport Code WA05
Destination City BATTLE GROUND
Destination State WA
Destination Country
Specific Phase of Flight Descent
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Feb 26 2001 8:08AM
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 --