Piper PA-28-151 accident near Creswell, Oregon, July 21, 1984
On July 21, 1984 at about 5:41 am local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N8732E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Creswell, Oregon (Hobby airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people 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
- July 21, 1984 · about 5:41 am local time
- Place
- Creswell, Oregon · Hobby
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N8732E · no longer on the register · serial 28-7615155
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A NIGHT VFR FLT FROM SAN CARLOS, CA, TO EUGENE, OR, WHEN THE PLT ASKED APCH CONTROL HOW FOR AWAY THE ARPT WAS. ATC INFORMED THE PLT THAT THE ARPT WAS 16 MILES FURTHER. ABOUT 3 MINUTES LATER, THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS EMPTIED. THE PLT SWITCHED TO THE RIGHT TANK AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. HE THEN ASKED FOR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT. A HEADING OF 050 DEGREES WAS GIVEN TO THE ARPT. THE ACFT HIT SEVERAL TREES ABOUT 4 MILES SHORT OF THE ARPT AND CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE ACFT.
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: 208 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 168 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA at 1:25 am
- Destination: EUG Eugene OR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from EUG, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.