Piper PA-28RT-201 accident near Hood River, Oregon, March 12, 1984
On March 12, 1984 at about 7:42 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registered N8301T, was destroyed in an accident near Hood River, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- March 12, 1984 · about 7:42 pm local time
- Place
- Hood River, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201 PA-28RT-20 · all PA-28RT-201s on the register
- Registration
- N8301T · no longer on the register · serial 28R-8118030
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER CROSSING THE DALLES AT 12,500 FT MSL, THE PLT REPORTED TO ARTCC HE WAS ENTERING SOLID CLOUDS. HE SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED LEVEL AT 3,000 FT MSL FOLLOWED BY 'IF AH WE CAN'T STAY VFR WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLIMB UP TO ABOUT FIVE AND FILE IFR.' THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING IN & OUT OF PATCHES OF 'LIGHT FOG' AT ABOUT 450 TO 500 FT AGL NEAR AN INTERSTATE HWY & CLOSE TO MOUNTAINS. A WITNESS REPORTED THE TOP THIRD OF THE MOUNTAINS ADJACENT TO THE GORGE WAS OBSCURED. THE ACFT IMPACTED A STEEP SLOPING RIDGE. ON PREVIOUS PORTIONS OF THE X-COUNTRY FLT, WHICH ORIGINATED IN ALABAMA, THE PLT HAD FLOWN IN IFR CONDITIONS & HAD EXECUTED AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH. HIS LOGBOOK INDICATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN A TOTAL OF 16.6 HOURS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENT TIME. THE ACFT'S CG WAS ESTIMATED TO BE APRX .6 INCH BEHIND THE AFT LIMIT. TWO OF THE OCCUPANTS WERE SMALL CHILDREN WEIGHING 31 & 37 LBS.
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: 181 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 135 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,403 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 13, 1983; 8,073 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LMT Klamth Falls OR at 5:15 pm
- Destination: TTD Troutdale OR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.