Cessna 120 accident near Troutdale, Oregon, July 21, 2001
On July 21, 2001 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N90077, was destroyed in an accident near Troutdale, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent visual flight rules ( VFR) flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) during cruise flight. Factors include his attention being diverted to the indications presented by his Global Positioning System (GPS), and low ceiling and clouds in the area he was transiting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2001 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Troutdale, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N90077 · no longer on the register · serial 9138
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While concentrating on flying just beyond the boundary of Class Delta airspace, the pilot focused in on the indications of his Global Positioning System (GPS), and inadvertently entered a low-level overcast cloud layer. Before he was able to initiate a 180 degree turn, the left wing of the aircraft impacted a tree. The pilot estimated that he was in the clouds for less than ten seconds when the aircraft collided with the tree.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 534 hours in all; 214 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 398 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 23, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,344 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 27, 2001; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HIO Hillsboro OR at 3:00 pm
- Destination: BKE Baker City OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 5:30 pm from KTTD, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.