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Accidents · NTSB SEA87LA008 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 172N accident near Madras, Oregon, October 2, 1986

On October 2, 1986 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4693J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Madras, Oregon (Madras City airport). It was a personal 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
October 2, 1986 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 1986
Place
Madras, Oregon · Madras City · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
Registration
N4693J · registry record · serial 17273663
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

ON LANDING TOUCHDOWN, AIRCRAFT NOSE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE STUDENT PILOT OVER-CORRECTED WITH CONTROLS AND POWER, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO BALLOON INTO THE AIR AND TOUCH DOWN A SECOND TIME IN A FLAT ATTITUDE, RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING.

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: student
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 43 hours in all; 8 in the last 90 days; 7 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,485 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: TTD Troutdale OR at 8:10 pm
  • Destination: S33 Madras OR
  • Flight plan: VFR
  • Runway 34L, 8,200 ft by 75 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: at 5 knots, gusting 7
  • Visibility: 40 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
  • Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA87LA008.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.