Piper PA-22-150 accident near Curtin, Oregon, September 20, 1988
On September 20, 1988 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N3863P, was destroyed in an accident near Curtin, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1988 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Curtin, Oregon
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3863P · no longer on the register · serial 22-3552
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON 9/20/88, THE PLT & HIS WIFE DEPD MONTAQUE, CA, ON A FLT TO SILVERDALE, WA, WITH A PLANNED REFUELING STOP AT COTTAGE GROVE, OR. WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT ARRIVE, A SEARCH WAS MADE, BUT TO NO AVAIL. ON 1/24/90, A TREE PLANTING CREW FOUND THE ACFT, WHERE IT HAD HIT TREES & CRASHED ON WOODED/HILLY TERRAIN. THE PLANE WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY IMPACT & FIRE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. ABOUT 25 MI NORTH AT EUGENE, OR, THE 0809 WX WAS: PARTIALLY OBSCURED, 300' OVERCAST, VISIBILILTY 1-1/2 MI WITH FOG. NO RECORD WAS FOUND OF A PREFLT WEATHER BRIEFING.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 150 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,756 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1O5 Montaque CA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: 618 Cottage Grove OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:46 pm from RBG, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.