Piper PA-32-300 accident near 27Ne Rogue Rive, Oregon, November 10, 1982
On November 10, 1982 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N656ZM, was destroyed in an accident near 27Ne Rogue Rive, Oregon. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. 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
- November 10, 1982 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- 27Ne Rogue Rive, Oregon
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N656ZM · no longer on the register · serial 32-40331
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 9,500 FT THE ENG FAILED. THE ACFT IMPACTED A LARGE TREE WHILE MANEUVERING TO LAND ON A RURAL ROAD IN HEAVILY FORESTED MOUNTAINS. ENG EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE TOP OF THE CASE HAD A LARGE HOLE ON THE REAR PORTION. PUSHROD HOUSINGS WERE MISSING FROM #5 & #6 CYLINDERS. THE REAR CASE CONTAINED MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF METAL PIECES. THE MAJOR PORTIONOF THE #5 CONROD WAS MISSING.
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: 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: 5,300 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 5,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 992 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Eugene OR at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Medford OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.