Cessna 182B accident near Bend, Oregon, May 29, 1989
On May 29, 1989 at about 5:26 pm local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2770G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bend, Oregon (Pilot Butte 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 PILOT ALLOWED HIS ATTENTION TO BE DIVERTED BY A CROSSWIND AND FAILED TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM TREES ON APPROACH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1989 · about 5:26 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Pilot Butte · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2770G · registry record · serial 52070
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CONCENTRATING ON CROSSWIND APPROACH, PLT ALLOWED ACFT TO CONTACT TREE TOPS. ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED HARD TO SIDE OF RUNWAY. THE PLT SAID THE TREES DAMAGED THE AILERONS AND HE HAD DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE DESCENT.
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: 2,342 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,019 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 1988; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,500 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from RDM, 10 miles away
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.
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.