Maule M5-210C accident near Bend, Oregon, April 25, 1988
On April 25, 1988, a Maule M5-210C, registered N312X, was destroyed in an accident near Bend, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- April 25, 1988
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Maule M5-210C · all M5-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N312X · no longer on the register · serial 6129C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT FILED VFR AFTER ADVISED VFR NOT RECOMMENDED. WITNESS OBSERVED ACFT ON COURSE FOR DEST AT LOW ALT OVER HIWAY. WITNESS EST CEILING AT 100 FEET, VISIBILITY POOR IN MOD SNOW. ACFT OBSERVED TO EXECUTE SHARP LEFT TURN AMD IMPACT RISING TERRAIN. CORRECTIVE LENSES FOR 20/200 VISION REQUIRED TO BE WORN; NOT WORN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 851 hours in all; 476 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 725 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,295 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 21, 1988; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELY Ely NV at 7:05 pm
- Destination: RDM Redmond OR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N312X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.