Piper PA-32-301T accident near Bend, Oregon, May 24, 1997
On May 24, 1997 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-301T, registered N83211, was destroyed in an accident near Bend, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Overload of the airframe structure. Thunderstorms and turbulence were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1997 · about 7:20 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301T · all PA-32-301Ts on the register
- Registration
- N83211 · registry record · serial 32-8124006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The last radio communications from the pilot indicated that they were in instrument meteorological conditions and experiencing updrafts and picking up ice on the structure. Widely scattered thunderstorms and rain were reported in the area. Light to occasional moderate rime and mixed icing in the precipitation was reported from the freezing level to 12,000 feet. Moderate turbulence was reported for the entire state. Witnesses on the ground heard the sound of the engine but could not see the airplane. The witnesses reported that a 'pretty nasty looking cloud' with the sounds of thunder was in the area when they heard a sound similar to a sonic boom. After this sound, the aircraft's engine was no longer heard. Evidence at the accident site indicated that the aircraft broke-up in flight. The left wing separated at the root, the right wing separated about 109 inches from the root. Both the horizontal stabilizers and the vertical stabilizer separated from the empennage. Metallurgical examination of the fractured components were typical of overstress separations. Both the wings and the horizontal stabilator failed in a downward loading condition.
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: 660 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,839 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1997; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA
- Destination: RDM Redmond OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:16 pm from RDM, 21 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.
Other NTSB records under N83211 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N83211 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 3,916 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,838 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD 13 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Buchanan Field · departed from
- Roberts Fld/Redmond Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,008 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N83211 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA97FA120.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.