Cessna 172N accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, November 9, 1994
On November 9, 1994 at about 2:13 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N584WA, was destroyed in an accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE VFR PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE WITH THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN BELOW HIM. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS A DOWNDRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 1994 · about 2:13 am local time
- Place
- Klamath Falls, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N584WA · no longer on the register · serial 17271944
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT, WHO WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED, RECEIVED AN ACCURATE WEATHER BRIEFING FOR A CROSS COUNTRY BUSINESS FLIGHT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT NIGHT. DURING THE FLIGHT, THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WORSENED, AS FORECAST. THE PILOT WAS TOLD OF THE WORSENING CONDITIONS. HE REPORTED TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) THAT HE WAS ENTERING OBSCURATION AND EVENTUALLY LOST GROUND CONTACT. THE REPORTED WEATHER CONDITIONS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE INDICATED THAT THE CLOUDS, SNOW, AND GUSTING WINDS EXISTED AT THE ALTITUDE THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING. ATC PROVIDED VECTORS, BUT THE PILOT GRADUALLY DESCENDED AND VEERED TOWARD RISING TERRAIN. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE THEN ENCOUNTERED A STRONG DOWNDRAFT AND THAT HE COULD NOT CLIMB FASTER THAN THE RISING TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A TREE NEAR THE 7,200 FOOT LEVEL OF A MOUNTAIN. THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND WAS RESCUED 22 HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED. NO PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE REPORTED.
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: 430 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 392 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,433 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 1994; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kennewick Aircraft, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: S22 Hermiston OR at 11:05 pm
- Destination: LMT Klamath Falls OR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from LMT, 16 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.