Piper PA28R accident near Milton-Freewater, Oregon, February 28, 2018
On February 28, 2018 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1974 Piper PA28R, registered N323MQ, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Milton-Freewater, Oregon. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot receiving instruction’s and flight instructor’s improper decision to enter a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain and their subsequent failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2018 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Milton-Freewater, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28R 200, built 1974 · all PA28Rs on the register
- Registration
- N323MQ · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7435038
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, after conducting flight maneuvers during an instructional flight, he and the pilot receiving instruction proceeded to sightsee around mountainous terrain at 800 to 1,000 ft above ground level. He added that, after the pilot receiving instruction maneuvered around rising terrain, the airplane was moving toward "fairly significant" terrain. The flight instructor reported that "it was assumed" that the airplane had the necessary performance to climb over the rising terrain ahead, but he soon realized that the airplane was in a "box canyon" and would not be able to climb above the rising terrain. The flight instructor took the flight controls, "pitched the aircraft up to stall speed," and the airplane impacted trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Effect on operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 726 hours in all; 174 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 645 as pilot in command; 326 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 20, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 380 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 297 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 7, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,760.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 9,761 hours total
- Operator: Walla Walla University
The flight
- Departed from: ALW Walla Walla WA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: ALW Walla Walla WA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KALW, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 19, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Instructor Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.