Cessna 182J accident near Molalla, Oregon, December 30, 1987
On December 30, 1987 at about 11:05 pm local time, a Cessna 182J, registered N2758F, was destroyed in an accident near Molalla, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE RECENTLY CERTIFICATED, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED, PVT PLT FLEW INTO THE AN AREA OF LOW CEILINGS, LOW VIS, RAIN & SNW W/O FILING A FLT PLAN. NO RECORD OF A WX BRIEFING WAS FND. A SURVIVING PAX RPRTD THAT DRG FLT, THE PLT FLEW INTO CLDS THAT WERE INITIALLY SCATTERED, BUT AS THE FLT CONTD, THE CLDS BCM THICKER & DARKER. THE PAX SAID THEY FLEW INTO 'ICE CLOUDS.'ICE ACCUMULATED ON THE ACFT & THE ENG BGN TO FALTER. RPRTDLY, CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED TOO LATE TO PREVENT ENG STOPPAGE. A DISTRESS CALL WA MADE AT 1501 PST. SOON THEREAFTER, THE PLT TRANSMITTED THEY WERE 'GOING DOWN' & THEN RADAR & RADIO CTC WERE LOST. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON MTN TERRAIN & CRASHED. THE EMERG LOCATOR BCN (ELT) DID NOT OPER. THE ACFTWAS NOT FND UNTIL 1012 PST THE NEXT DAY APRX 1 MI FM WHERE RADAR CTCT WAS LOST. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT SNW & ICE HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE ENG AIR FILTER. ICE WAS FND IN THE WIRE SCREEN & PLENUM BHND THE FILTER. CARB HEAT WAS ON. RESIDENTS APRX 5 MI AWAY SAID HVY SNW WAS FALLING. TWO DEFECTIVE TRANSISTORS WERE FND IN THE ELT WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED OPN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 1987 · about 11:05 pm local time
- Place
- Molalla, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182J · all 182Js on the register
- Registration
- N2758F · no longer on the register · serial 18256858
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RECENTLY CERTIFICATED, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED, PVT PLT FLEW INTO AN AREA OF LOW CEILINGS, LOW VIS, RAIN & SNW W/O FILING A FLT PLAN. NO RECORD OF A WX BRIEFING WAS FND. A SURVIVING PAX RPRTD THAT DRG FLT, THE PLT FLEW INTO CLDS THAT WERE INITIALLY SCATTERED, BUT AS THE FLT CONTD, THE CLDS BCM THICKER & DARKER. THE PAX SAID THEY FLEW INTO 'ICE CLOUDS.'ICE ACCUMULATED ON THE ACFT & THE ENG BGN TO FALTER. RPRTDLY, CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED TOO LATE TO PREVENT ENG STOPPAGE. A DISTRESS CALL WAS MADE AT 1501 PST. SOON THEREAFTER, THE PLT TRANSMITTED THEY WERE 'GOING DOWN' & THEN RADAR & RADIO CTC WERE LOST. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON MTN TERRAIN & CRASHED. THE EMERG LOCATOR BCN (ELT) DID NOT OPER. THE ACFTWAS NOT FND UNTIL 1012 PST THE NEXT DAY APRX 1 MI FM WHERE RADAR CTCT WAS LOST. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT SNW & ICE HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE ENG AIR FILTER. ICE WAS FND IN THE WIRE SCREEN & PLENUM BHND THE FILTER. CARB HEAT WAS ON. RESIDENTS APRX 5 MI AWAY SAID HVY SNW WAS FALLING. TWO DEFECTIVE TRANSISTORS WERE FND IN THE ELT WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED OPN.
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: 129 hours in all; 64 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,677 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 25, 1987; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNS Los Banos CA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: WA05 Battle Ground WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from SLE, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.