Cessna 182F accident near Diamond Lake, Oregon, September 29, 1989
On September 29, 1989 at about 5:27 pm local time, a Cessna 182F, registered N3581Y, was destroyed in an accident near Diamond Lake, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER INFLIGHT PLANNING AND DECISION BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND WHO CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO FLY THROUGH A MOUNTAIN PASS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE LOW CEILING AND RAIN WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE MOUNTAINOUS, HILLY TERRAIN IN THE PASS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1989 · about 5:27 pm local time
- Place
- Diamond Lake, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3581Y · no longer on the register · serial 18254481
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT ELT WAS RECEIVED BUT AERIAL SEARCH IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE OF LOW CIG, VSBY IN AREA. WITNESSES REPORTED LOW CIG, RAIN AND FOG IN THE AREA ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 3 DAYS LATER, AFTER PASSAGE OF FRONTAL WX SYSTEM, AT 5200 FT MSL IN A REMOTE PASS THAT IS A FREQUENTLY USED VFR ROUTE THROUGH THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,774 hours in all; 260 in the last 90 days; 93 in the last 30 days; 11,471 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,428 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 28, 1989; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 64S Prospect OR at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 2S6 Newberg OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from RBG, 48 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.