Cessna 172N accident near Roseburg, Oregon, October 4, 1986
On October 4, 1986 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734EP, was destroyed in an accident near Roseburg, Oregon (Roseburg Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- October 4, 1986 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Roseburg, Oregon · Roseburg Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734EP · no longer on the register · serial 17268799
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT INITIATED THE TAKEOFF FROM A TAXIWAY WITH A 100 FT OBSCURED SKY AND 1/4 VISIBILITY IN FOG. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN THE RWY HEADING DURING INITIAL CLIMB. THE ACFT DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT OF THE TAXIWAY AND STRUCK TREES LOCATED ON RISING 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 625 hours in all; 396 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 502 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,630 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RSB Roseburg OR at 4:15 pm
- Destination: S98 Kennewick WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:48 pm from RSB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.