Cessna 172F accident near Oxbow, Oregon, July 15, 1982
On July 15, 1982 at about 3:49 am local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8230U, was destroyed in an accident near Oxbow, Oregon. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were killed. 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
- July 15, 1982 · about 3:49 am local time
- Place
- Oxbow, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8230U · no longer on the register · serial 17252130
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE FINAL APPROACH THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO DESCEND TO APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER AND THEN EXECUTE A PULLUP AND BEGIN A LEFT TURN TO EITHER REENTER A LEFT DOWNWIND OR REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF LANDING. THE PILOT LOST CONTROL, THE LEFT WING DROPPED, THE NOSE PITCHED DOWN AND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AT THE RIVER'S EDGE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 236 POUNDS OVER MAXIMUM GROSS TAKEOFF WEIGHT. NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE COULD 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,490 hours in all; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,499 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin GAS-350-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Near Imnaha OR at 8:25 pm
- Destination: Fort Fairfield ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 135°F (57°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from BKE, 41 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.