Piper PA28R-200 accident near Prairie City, Oregon, March 2, 1990
On March 2, 1990 at about 12:40 pm local time, a Piper PA28R-200, registered N2947R, was destroyed in an accident near Prairie City, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNCONTROLLED SPIRALLING DESCENT THAT THE PILOT DID NOT ADEQUATELY RECOVER FROM. THE PILOTS LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE IN THIS TYPE OF OPERATION AND THE DARK NIGHT CONDITION ARE A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1990 · about 12:40 pm local time
- Place
- Prairie City, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28R-200 · all PA28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N2947R · no longer on the register · serial 28R-35341
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO CLIMB, THEN SUDDENLY ENTERED A LEFT DESCENDING TURN UNTIL COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. THE WEATHER ALONG THE FLIGHT COURSE WAS FORECAST TO HAVE MOUNTAINS OCCASIONALLY OBSCURED WITH CLOUDS AND THE FREEZING LEVEL WAS LOW. DURING THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION, THERE WERE NO NOTED MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE AIRPLANE.
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: 160 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 102 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,272 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1989; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S3 Hillsboro OR at 10:52 am
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from BKE, 42 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.