Cessna 180 accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, May 21, 1983
On May 21, 1983 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4728B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon (Kingsley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1983 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Klamath Falls, Oregon · Kingsley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4728B · registry record · serial 31626
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE ENCOUNTERED A GUST WHILE LANDING ON RWY 14 WITH A QUARTERING TAIL WIND, THEN LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT DEPARTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY & THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED. THE TOWER CONTROL REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM 320 DEG AT 4 KTS.
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: 705 hours in all; 585 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 701 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1982; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4SD Reno NE
- Destination: LMT Klamath Falls OR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 14, 10,301 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 14 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from RDM, 130 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.