Cessna 150 accident near Independence, Oregon, April 9, 2005
On April 9, 2005 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N7771E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Independence, Oregon (Independence State Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to secure the airplane while starting the engine by hand-propping.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2005 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Independence, Oregon · Independence State Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7771E · registry record · serial 17571
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was hand-propping the airplane to start it, and it taxied away with him hanging onto the left wing strut. The airplane subsequently impacted two other parked airplanes. The accident airplane's right wing spar and strut were bent.
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: 260 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,138 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 2004; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S5 Independence OR at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 7S5
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from SLE, 9 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7771E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,994 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Independence State Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,008 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA05CA079.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.