Cessna 182E accident near Prineville, Oregon, August 18, 1984
On August 18, 1984 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N3159Y, was destroyed in an accident near Prineville, Oregon (Princeville airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- August 18, 1984 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Prineville, Oregon · Princeville · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N3159Y · registry record · serial 18254159
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HIT A TREE DURING A FORCED LANDING APPROACH TO A LARGE OPEN FIELD AFTER AN ENGINE FAILURE. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIION REVEALED THAT A ROD CAP BOLT HAD FAILED WHICH STARTED THE INTERNAL DESTRUCTION OF THE ENGINE. THIS BOLT WAS INSTALLED AS A NEW PART DURING MAJOR OVERHAUL IN 5/84 AND HAD ACCRUED 120 HOURS TOTAL TIME IN SERVICE.
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: 213 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 170 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,938 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 27, 1984; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MFR Medford OR at 10:30 pm
- Destination: PDT Pendleton OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:00 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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
- N3159Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R 107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Prineville Airport · nearest airport
- Rogue Valley Intl/Medford Airport · departed from
- Eastern Oregon Regional AT Pendleton · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,012 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA84FA201.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.