Cessna TR182 accident near Bend, Oregon, June 30, 2008
On June 30, 2008 at about 11:58 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N7XZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bend, Oregon. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the crankshaft during cruise flight due to fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2008 · about 11:58 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N7XZ · no longer on the register · serial R18201053
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, the engine began to run rough as she noticed that the propeller rpm was beyond the red line indication and that oil was coming from the forward cowling area behind the propeller. The oil began coating the windscreen and made forward visibility nearly impossible as the pilot initiated an off-airport landing in an adjacent open field. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a barbed wire fence and came to rest on a two-lane highway, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and engine firewall. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft was cracked about 380 to 400 degrees around the circumference of the forward bearing journal, originating from the oil-through hole and progressing in a direction opposite of the rotation of the crankshaft. A metallurgical examination of the fracture region revealed that the origin of the fracture was consistent with a brittle intergranular fracture through the nitride layer and exhibited numerous crack arrest marks. Beyond the fatigue fracture area, the fracture was on a slant plane consistent with overstress separation. The source of the loading that lead to the initial crack formation at the oil through-hole could not be determined. Review of aircraft logbook records revealed that an engine overhaul was completed on May 1, 2006. The most recent annual inspection of the engine and airframe was conducted on May 30, 2008, 252.3 hours since the engine's last major overhaul.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,800 hours in all; 1,025 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 13,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 10, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,793.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 2008; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,180 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spirit Flight Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: RDM Redmond OR at 10:43 pm
- Destination: Prineville OR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from RDM, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.