Curtiss-Wright Travel Air C-4000 accident near Florence, Oregon, April 12, 2003
On April 12, 2003, a Curtiss-Wright Travel Air C-4000, registered N6298, was substantially damaged in an accident near Florence, Oregon (Florence Muni airport). It was a personal 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
Pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors include rough terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2003
- Place
- Florence, Oregon · Florence Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Curtiss-Wright Travel Air C-4000
- Registration
- N6298 · registry record · serial 745
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that shortly after touchdown, in conjunction with the tail wheel touching down, the airplane started drifting to the right. The pilot stated that the airplane continued to track to the right, ultimately exiting the runway edge. After exiting the runway, the airplane encountered rough terrain and the right main gear collapsed. In a subsequent written statement, the pilot reported that the tail wheel was possibly not centered when the airplane touched down, and that he was unable to recover before the airplane exited the runway.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 2,695 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W-670 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S21 Sunriver OR at 10:30 pm
- Destination: 6S2 Florence OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N6298 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.