Piper PA-38 accident near Sweet Home, Oregon, June 5, 1994
On June 5, 1994 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-38, registered N9271T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sweet Home, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT DELAYED USING CARBURETOR HEAT UNTIL THE ENGINE HAD ALREADY LOST POWER DUE TO ICE FORMING IN THE CARBURETOR THROAT. FACTORS INCLUDE CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS, AND ROUGH/UNEVEN TERRAIN IN THE FIELD WHERE THE FORCED LANDING WAS MADE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 1994 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Sweet Home, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38 · all PA-38s on the register
- Registration
- N9271T · no longer on the register · serial 38-78A0309
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE FLYING IN CONDITIONS WHERE CARBURETOR ICING COULD BE EXPECTED AT BOTH GLIDE AND CRUISE POWER, THE PILOT FAILED TO APPLY CARBURETOR HEAT TO CHECK FOR ICE ACCUMULATION IN THE CARBURETOR THROAT. THE ENGINE EVENTUALLY LOST POWER DUE TO CARBURETOR ICING, AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING IN A NEARBY FIELD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL IN THE ROUGH/UNEVEN TERRAIN, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED.
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: 1,440 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,440 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,828 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1994; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S30 Lebanon OR at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
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.