Piper PA-28-161 accident near Portland, Oregon, July 18, 1982
On July 18, 1982 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N2146Y, was destroyed in an accident near Portland, Oregon. It was an instructional 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 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 18, 1982 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N2146Y · no longer on the register · serial 287916358
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT, ENROLLED IN A COURSE FOR A COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE, WAS SCHEDULED FOR A SOLO FLIGHT FROM SEATTLE TO BREMERTON, WASHINGTON AND RETURN. HE DEPARTED AT ABOUT 1300 PDT. AT ABOUT 1635 PDT, RESIDENTS NEAR THE CRASH SITE REPORTED THAT THEY SAW AND HEARD A LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT CIRCLE THE AREA SEVERAL TIMES, THEN CRASH. ONE WITNESS REPORTED THE ENGINE WAS SPUTTERING AS THE PLANE PASSED OVER HIS HOUSE. THE PLANE CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. THE LEFT WING WAS TORN FROM THE FUSELAGE, BUT A WITNESS REPORTED FUEL LEAKING FROM THE LEFT TANK. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS POSITIONED TO THE RIGHT TANK AND THE PLANE HAD FLOWN 3 TO 5 HRS. BASED ON THE FLIGHT MANUAL, THE PLANE WOULD HAVE USED 21 TO 31 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE CAPACITY OF EACH TANK WAS 24 USABLE GALLONS. A TOXICOLOGICAL TEST OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD REVEALED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF .303%. THE POLICE AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL STATED THAT THE PILOT'S SEAT BELT WAS NOT FASTENED WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE CRASH SITE.
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: 124 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 63 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,765 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Seattle Flight Service,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: BF1 Seattle WA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: PWT Bremerton WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 171°F (77°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from PDX, 7 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.