Grumman AA-5 accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, July 31, 1984
On July 31, 1984 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Grumman AA-5, registered N6542L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon (Kingsley airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- July 31, 1984 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Klamath Falls, Oregon · Kingsley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5
- Registration
- N6542L · no longer on the register · serial 142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THE RUN-UP AND TAKEOFF WERE NORMAL BUT DURING THE CLIMBOUT THE ENGINE LOST POWER. A SMALL FIRE, CONFINED TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ERUPTED. POWER COULD NOT BE RESTORED AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN AN OPEN FIELD. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE REVEALED THE STARTER HAD NOT DISENGAGED AND HAD OVERHEATED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,087 hours in all; 1,068 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 804 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,738 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LMT Klamath Falls OR at 5:37 pm
- Destination: PDT Portland OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 74 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from LMT, 1 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.
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.