Maule Bee Dee M-4 accident near Ritter, Oregon, August 24, 2005
On August 24, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Maule Bee Dee M-4, registered N11WG, was destroyed in an accident near Ritter, 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 loss of control for an undetermined reason which resulted in a ground collision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ritter, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule Bee Dee M-4
- Registration
- N11WG · no longer on the register · serial 14
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was making a personal cross country flight in the airplane. The accident occurred in a remote unpopulated area on top of a mesa. A grass fire was spotted on the mesa, and the responding fire fighters discovered that the fire had been started by the airplane crash. No witnesses to the accident were identified. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical descent. The wreckage sustained severe fire damage. The fuselage, except for its steel tubing frame, was consumed by fire. Fire destroyed the engine accessory case, oil pan, all engine accessories and all cockpit instruments and avionics. Inspection of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation. The reason for the loss of control could not be determined.
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: 926 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 866 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,140 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ONO Ontario OR at 8:00 pm
- Destination: KLS Kelso WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from BKE, 60 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.
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.