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Accidents · NTSB SEA90LA170 · Final report

Piper PA-18A-150 accident near North Plains, Oregon, August 26, 1990

On August 26, 1990, a Piper PA-18A-150, registered N965CD, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Plains, Oregon (North Plains airport). It was a positioning 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'S FAILUE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM AN OBJECT NEAR THE RUNWAY.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 26, 1990 · cases in 1990
Place
North Plains, Oregon · North Plains · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Piper PA-18A-150 · all PA-18A-150s on the register
Registration
N965CD · no longer on the register · serial 18-4976
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

DURING TAXI OUT TO PERFORM A GLIDER TOW, THE AIRCRAFT HIT A SMALL BUILDING WHILE TURNING AROUND AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE LOST HIS RIGHT BRAKE; HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WHO REPAIRED THE AIRCRAFT STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES.

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: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 14, 1990; 205 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: 1OR4
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 9, 1,600 ft by 30 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 225° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA90LA170.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.