Amateur-built U2 accident near Prineville, Oregon, September 30, 1985
On September 30, 1985 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built U2 (ultralight), registered N58209, was destroyed in an accident near Prineville, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1985 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Prineville, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built U2
- Registration
- N58209 · no longer on the register · serial U513
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS ON SECOND FLT IN NEWLY COMPLETED, REGISTERED ULTRALIGHT. CRAFT HAD NOT BEEN ISSUED A CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS. AFTER TAKEOFF, ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO CIRCLE AIRPORT, THEN DESCEND OUT OF SIGHT BEHIND TREES. INVESTIGATION SHOWED STEEEP, NOSEDOWN IMPACT. AIRFRAME DESTRUCTION PRECLUDED ESTABLISHMENT OF PRE-IMPACT STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OR ABSENCE OF CONTROL MALFUNCTOIN. NO POWER PLANT DEFECTS FOUND. PLT WAS WEARING PARACHUTE, WHICH WAS FOUND PARTIALLY DEPLOYED. NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF MEDICAL IMPAIRMENT IN 64-YR-OLD PLT.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 45 hours in all; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honda 250CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from RDM, 20 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.