Cessna 337B accident near Dayton, Oregon, June 20, 1983
On June 20, 1983 at about 9:24 pm local time, a Cessna 337B, registered N5479S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dayton, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- June 20, 1983 · about 9:24 pm local time
- Place
- Dayton, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337B · all 337Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5479S · no longer on the register · serial 337-0579
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED HE WAS DEMONSTRATING A 'STEEP LETDOWN' TO HIS PASSENGER FROM ABOUT 3200 MSL. THE DESCENT WAS WITH FULL FLAPS, LANDING GEAR EXTENDED AND POWER OFF ON BOTH ENGINES. AT ABOUT 1200 MSL THE PILOT LEVELED OFF AND ADDED POWER AND HAD NONE ON THE REAR ENGINE, THEN THE FRONT ENGINE SPUTTERED AND QUIT. BOTH ENGINES WERE BEING FUELED FROM THE AUX FUEL TANKS DURING THE DESCENT. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE FRONT ENGINE WHEN THE ACFT STALLED AND CRASHED. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT AUX TANK AND THE RIGHT AUX HAD ABOUT 2.5 GALS. THE AUX TANK FUEL PICK-UPS ARE LOCATED AT THE REAR OF THE TANKS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,420 hours in all; 149 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1,370 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 1978; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360 C/D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HIO Hillsboro OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.