Cessna 120 accident near Chiloquin, Oregon, August 7, 2005
On August 7, 2005, a Cessna 120, registered N627DM, was destroyed in an accident near Chiloquin, Oregon (Chiloquin State Airport). 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 airspeed and a loss of control during a pull-up maneuver. A factor contributing to the accident was the inadvertent stall/spin, which resulted in the subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2005
- Place
- Chiloquin, Oregon · Chiloquin State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N627DM · registry record · serial 13840
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane departing to the south. One witness reported seeing the airplane about 20 feet above the ground when it pulled up steeply, banked hard to the left, and then continued to turn and went straight into the ground. Other witnesses said that just after the airplane took off and was approximately 200 to 300 feet above the ground, it nosed down and impacted terrain. A postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the airplane which would have precluded normal operations.
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: 810 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2S7 Chiloquin OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,735 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from LMT, 30 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.