Snow S2C accident near Hepner, Oregon, June 3, 1983
On June 3, 1983 at about 3:42 pm local time, a Snow S2C, registered N1665S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hepner, Oregon. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 1983 · about 3:42 pm local time
- Place
- Hepner, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Snow S2C · all S2Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1665S · no longer on the register · serial 1238C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT SLID SIDEWAYS ON A SLOPING FIELD DURING A FORCED LANDING AND DAMAGED A WING. THE PILOT SAID HE HAD SPRAYED TWO FIELDS AND WAS ENROUTE TO SPRAY ANOTHER WHEN A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FOUND NO USABLEFUEL IN EITHER FUEL TANK.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,218 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 4,989 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hepner OR at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from DLS, 75 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1665S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.