Cessna 172K accident near North Bend, Oregon, October 22, 1993
On October 22, 1993 at about 10:01 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N79405, was destroyed in an accident near North Bend, Oregon (North Bend airport). It was a personal 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
LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE IN FLIGHT DUE TO PILOT INCAPACITATION FROM ATHEROSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 1993 · about 10:01 pm local time
- Place
- North Bend, Oregon · North Bend · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N79405 · no longer on the register · serial 17258056
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES TO DIVE STEEPLY TOWARD THE GROUND FROM PATTERN ALTITUDE UNTIL IT DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW. THE PATHOLOGIST REPORTED THAT THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS MULTIPLE TRAUMATIC INJURIES AND ATHERIOSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE.
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: 204 hours in all; 106 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 159 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,963 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 1993; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Coos Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: OTH at 9:46 pm
- Destination: OTH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,045 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 120 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:04 pm from OTH, 2 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.