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Accidents · NTSB SEA83LA097 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Piper PA-25-235B accident near La Grande, Oregon, May 14, 1983

On May 14, 1983 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235B, registered N7757Z, was destroyed in an accident near La Grande, Oregon. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 14, 1983 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 1983
Place
La Grande, Oregon · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Piper PA-25-235B · all PA-25-235Bs on the register
Registration
N7757Z · registry record · serial 25-3943
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE ACFT STALLED ABOUT 30 FEET AGL DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER THE ENGINE QUIT FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT TOOK THE ACFT FOR A FERRY FLIGHT WITHOUT REFUELING. IT HAD BEEN FLOWN ABOUT 1 HOUR & 15 MINUTES. IT HOLDS ABOUT 36 GALLONS AND BURNS ABOUT 14 GALLONS AN HOUR. THE 1ST LEG OF THE FERRY WAS AN HOUR AND A HALF. ABOUT 5 MILES FROM 1ST FUEL STOP THE ENGINE QUIT.

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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 492 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: EPH Ephrata WA at 1:30 pm
  • Destination: LGD La Grande OR
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 30 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
  • Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 3:00 pm from BKE, 28 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA83LA097.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.