Amateur-built RV-7A accident near Mcminnville, Oregon, December 11, 2003
On December 11, 2003 at about 8:25 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-7A, registered N29CV, was destroyed in an accident near Mcminnville, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Cloudy weather, continued flight into adverse weather, inadequate preflight planning and mountainous terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 2003 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Mcminnville, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-7A
- Registration
- N29CV · registry record · serial 70002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route to an airstrip, the flight of two aircraft encountered cloud layers and overcast, which did not allow the flight to continue in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot of the lead aircraft made a decision to reverse course and made a left turn, while the accident pilot made a right turn to reverse direction. When the pilot of the lead aircraft could not make radio contact with the accident pilot, and the accident pilot did not return to the departure airport, a search was initiated. The wreckage was located in mountainous terrain about one mile east of the turn around point. On site documentation indicated that the aircraft collided with the terrain in a nose down attitude. The pilot of the lead aircraft reported that neither he or the accident pilot received a weather briefing prior to the departure, and that the two of them had done this type of evaluate-the-weather-while-en-route flight before.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,096 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S5 Independence OR at 8:00 pm
- Destination: OR05 Flying M Ranch OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.