Cessna 172 accident near Oregon City, Oregon, November 19, 1988
On November 19, 1988 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6408G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oregon City, Oregon (Neilson'S Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1988 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Oregon City, Oregon · Neilson'S Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6408G · registry record · serial 17273594
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS LANDING HIS AIRCRAFT ON A VERY WET 1,170 FOOT GRASS RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURERS PERFORMANCE FIGURES, UNDER THE GIVEN TEMPERATURE AND WIND CONDITIONS, THE RUNWAY LENGTH REQUIRED ON DRY GRASS WOULD BE 740 FEET. ALTHOUGH NOT ADDRESSED IN THE PILOT OPERATORS HANDBOOK, DUE TO THE EXTREME VARIABLES, CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY ENGINEERS STATED THAT WET GRASS WOULD INCREASE THE LANDING DISTANCE 100 TO 300%.
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: 399 hours in all; 338 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 324 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,339 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1988; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3S2 Aurora OR at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,170 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.