Piper PA-32RT-300T accident near Prineville, Oregon, July 9, 1990
On July 9, 1990 at about 10:28 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, registered N30511, was destroyed in an accident near Prineville, Oregon. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE LEFT INTERMEDIATE EXHAUST PIPE, IN-FLIGHT ENGINE FIRE AND SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT, RESULTING IN IMPAIRMENT OF THE PILOT AND HIS SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 1990 · about 10:28 pm local time
- Place
- Prineville, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300T PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300Ts on the register
- Registration
- N30511 · registry record · serial 32R-7887280
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT MANEUVERING AT A LOW ALTITUDE, TRAILING WHITE SMOKE, WITH ROUGH ERRATIC ENGINE SOUNDS. A PVT PILOT REPORTED THE ACFT WAS FILLED WITH WHITE SMOKE. THE ACFT MADE A STEEP TURN, PITCHED NOSE UP, ROLLED INVERTED, AND DESCENDED NOSE DOWN TO IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED A FRACTURED COUPLING FLANGE ON THE LEFT INTERMEDIATE EXHAUST PIPE. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURED FLANGE REVEALED MULTIPLE ORIGIN FATIGUE FAILURE.
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: 3,750 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SO7 Bend OR at 10:00 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from RDM, 18 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.