Cessna T207A accident near Frenchglen, Oregon, August 21, 1986
On August 21, 1986 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna T207A, registered N73569, was destroyed in an accident near Frenchglen, Oregon. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 6 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1986 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Frenchglen, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T207A · all T207As on the register
- Registration
- N73569 · no longer on the register · serial 20700603
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ALTHOUGH LOW ALTITUDE FLIGHT WITHIN THE GORGE WAS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MISSION PROFILE THE PILOT ENTERED THE CANYON AND PROCEEDED UPSLOPE TOWARDS RISING TERRAIN. 87% OF THE PILOT'S EXTENSIVE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE WAS IN HELICOPTER AIRCRAFT AND HE HAD ACQUIRED AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF ONLY 13 HOURS IN MAKE/MODEL AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SLIGHTLY OVER ITS GROSS WEIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE CONDITIONS EXISTED. DURING THE PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO REVERSE DIRECTION AT THE END OF THE GORGE THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND A LOSS OF CONTROL FOLLOWED. A STALL/SPIN MANEUVER RESULTED PLACING THE AIRCRAFT IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO THE TERRAIN.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,106 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 158 in the last 90 days; 13,871 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,235 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1986; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Idaho Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 26U Mcdermitt OR at 4:45 pm
- Destination: BNO Burns OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from BNO, 57 miles away
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.