Cessna 172K accident near Gearhart, Oregon, August 4, 2008
On August 4, 2008 at about 1:48 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N828CC, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Gearhart, Oregon (Seaside Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the initial climb after takeoff due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2008 · about 1:48 pm local time
- Place
- Gearhart, Oregon · Seaside Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N828CC · no longer on the register · serial 17258481
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off in the morning without filing a flight plan for the planned cross-country flight. Weather in the vicinity of the airport was less than 3 miles visibility with overcast clouds at 300 feet above ground level. The overcast layer extended from 300 feet to 2,600 feet. Aircraft flight data was recovered from a handheld GPS unit that was onboard the airplane. The data disclosed that the airplane climbed to 412 feet mean sea level (msl) on a northerly heading, then entered a climbing left-hand turn that tightened into a climbing spiral. The airplane reached 1,350 feet msl before entering a rapid spiraling descent and colliding with a vacation home about 1 mile northwest of the airport. These GPS flight track data suggested that the pilot may have become spatially disoriented during the initial climb. A post impact fire destroyed the house and airplane. The pilot held an instrument airplane rating; however, a review of his personal flight records was unable to establish that he was current with his instrument flight experience. The majority of the airplane was destroyed by the post impact fire. In the small portions of wreckage that could be examined, no mechanical anomalies were identified. Post-accident toxicology testing detected a low level of zolpidem, a prescription sleep aid often known by the trade name Ambien, in the blood of the pilot. The source from which the blood sample was taken was not documented, however, and no conclusive determinations can be made regarding when the pilot may have last used the medication or whether he may have been impaired by its use. The medication would not typically be expected to result in impairment more than 6 hours after a dose, and the U.S. military permits flight duties as soon as 6 hours after the use of zolpidem.
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
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Decision related to condition
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent instrument experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,650 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 27, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: K56S Seaside OR at 1:44 pm
- Destination: KLMT Klamath Falls OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,211 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KAST, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.