Cirrus SR22 accident near Hood River, Oregon, January 21, 2005
On January 21, 2005 at about 4:20 am local time, a Cirrus SR22, registered N6057M, was destroyed in an accident near Hood River, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing factors were the mountainous terrain, the low ceiling weather conditions, and dark night light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 2005 · about 4:20 am local time
- Place
- Hood River, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus SR22 · all SR22s on the register
- Registration
- N6057M · no longer on the register · serial 0622
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, with his two passengers, were returning to Hood River, Oregon, on a dark, low overcast night. Radar data indicates that the airplane flew up the Columbia River, which has mountainous terrain on both sides, and was last recorded at 2,500 feet near North Bonneville, Washington. Family members reported the airplane overdue; no ELT signal was ever received. Search and rescue personnel located the airplane the following day on a ridge approximately 5 nautical miles from the intended destination. There were no survivors. No preimpact engine or airframe anomalies, which might have affected the airplane’s performance, were identified.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,140 hours in all; 110 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 457 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2004; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-N7B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLE Salem OR at 3:55 am
- Destination: 4S2 Hood River OR
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; a few clouds at 100 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from TTD, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.