Piper PA-28 accident near Burns, Oregon, July 16, 2002
On July 16, 2002 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N1248H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Burns, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper decision to continue on en route into an area of forecast reduced visibility without sufficient fuel to divert to a suitable alternate airport, and his subsequent inadvertent exhaustion of the aircraft's fuel supply. Factors include reduced visibility due to forest fire smoke, and rough/uneven terrain at the location where the pilot found it necessary to make a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2002 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Burns, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N1248H · registry record · serial 7716010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departing Salt Lake City, the pilot ran into some rain showers and had to divert to the east of his planned route. After completing his weather diversion, he flew directly over Burns, Oregon, en route to his final destination of Bend, Oregon. Upon arriving in the area of Bend, the pilot was unable to locate the airport due to low visibility created by smoke from ongoing forest fires. He then attempted to contact someone on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) at Bend, but was unsuccessful. He also tried to contact the tower at Redmond, Oregon, but was unable to do so. Although he knew he was getting low on fuel, the pilot decided he should attempt to return to Burns because the visibility had been good there when he flew over it earlier. As he was approaching Burns from the west, the aircraft ran out of fuel, and the pilot was forced to make a power-off landing in an open field. Although the initial touchdown was successful, during the landing roll on the rough rocky terrain, the nose gear and one main gear collapsed. According to the pilot, during his preflight briefing with the FAA Flight Service Station in Salt Lake City, he had been advised that the smoke from the forest fires near Bend was restricting visibility, but he did not realize that the combination of the afternoon sun and the accumulated smoke would make it so hard to find features on the ground.
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: 120 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,440 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 Salt Lake City UT at 6:30 pm
- Destination: S07 Bend OR
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA02LA132.