Cessna 172M accident near Clackamas, Oregon, July 28, 1997
On July 28, 1997 at about 9:34 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N80222, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clackamas, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed in a steep turn and his concurrent failure to maintain adequate altitude, resulting in an accelerated stall at an altitude insufficient for recovery. Factors include the pilot's intentional low altitude flight and maneuvering in an ostentatious display, and the pilot's lack of total experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1997 · about 9:34 pm local time
- Place
- Clackamas, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N80222 · no longer on the register · serial 17266456
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The newly certificated private pilot, a recent high school graduate, had two friends from his high school aboard. Before the accident, the aircraft was seen maneuvering at low airspeed and altitude in the vicinity of one of the passengers' houses. A flight instructor-qualified witness reported that at about 40 feet above ground level, the aircraft entered a steep turn of more than 80 degrees bank, and that the nose then dropped steeply and the aircraft crashed. The crash site was 3/8 mile east of the front seat passenger's house. This passenger's brother reported that he was talking with the front seat passenger on a cell phone at the time of the accident. He stated that the passenger instructed his brother to come out on the deck of the house because they were going to fly over. When the brother told the passenger he had not seen the aircraft, the passenger told his brother to wait on the deck while the aircraft turned around and came back over. During an on-scene examination of the aircraft wreckage, investigators found no evidence of preimpact aircraft mechanical problems.
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: 87 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,255 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 26, 1997; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Aircraft Rental
The flight
- Departed from: UAO Aurora OR
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from PDX, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.