Cessna 340A accident near Sunriver, Oregon, January 28, 1982
On January 28, 1982 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 340A, registered N4604N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sunriver, Oregon (Sunriver airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 1982 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sunriver, Oregon · Sunriver · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- N4604N · registry record · serial 340A1016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR WAS PROVIDING DUAL INSTRUCTION TO A PRIVATE PILOT WITH NO PREVIOUS TIME IN THIS NOR ANY MULTI- ENGINE AIRCRAFT. ALSO, THE PIRVATE PILOT HAD NOT FLOWN WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 90 DAYS. HE INITIATED A TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 18 WITH THE WIND FROM 210 DEGREES AT 5 KNOTS. THE RUNWAY WAS COVERED WITH PACKED DRY SNOW. IT CONTAINED RUTS AND HAD HIGH SNOW PILED ALONG THE EDGES. WHILE ROLLING, THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTED LEFT AND THE LEFT WING STRUCK A SNOWBANK. THE PLANE THEN VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,084 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,819 as pilot in command; 856 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 688 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,990 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OR35 Sunriver OR at 7:45 am
- Destination: Laverne CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 4,500 ft by 55 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:30 am from RDM, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.