Piper 24-140 accident near Enterprise, Oregon, July 25, 1982
On July 25, 1982 at about 5:20 am local time, a Piper 24-140, registered N55492, was destroyed in an accident near Enterprise, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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 25, 1982 · about 5:20 am local time
- Place
- Enterprise, Oregon
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper 24-140
- Registration
- N55492 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7325417
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED AN AIRCRAFT FLY OVER THE CITY OF ENTERPRISE, OREGON ON A BRIGHT NIGHT WITH CLEAR SKY CONDITIONS. REPORTEDLY, THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING VERY ERRATIC; AND JUST AS IT DISAPPEARED FROM THE WITNESSES' SIGHT, AN EXPLOSION ANDFIREBALL WERE OBSERVED WHERE IT DISAPPEARED. ACCORDIMG TO ONE WITNESS, THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO MANEUVER UP AND THEN DROP DOWN BEFORE IT CRASHED. THE PLANE CRASHED ON DOWN SLOPING TERRAIN IN A NOSE LOW, RIGHT WING DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PLANE SLID ABOUT 100 FT DOWN HILL AND THE WRECKAGE WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. THE PROPELLER SEPARATED DURING IMPACT AND SHOWED EVIDENCE OF POWER; IT WAS BADLY BENT AND HAD LARGE GOUGE MARKS ON THE TIPS. THE FLIGHT CONTROL CABLES WERE COMPLETE AND UNBROKEN TO THE TAIL AND WERE CONTINUOUS TO BOTH WINGS EXCEPT WHERE THE WINGS HAD SEPARATED. A TOXICOLOGICAL CHECK OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD REVEALED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.449%. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 3900 FT MSL.
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: 334 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,565 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Joseph OR at 9:30 pm
- Destination: Joseph OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.