Cessna 195A accident near Bend, Oregon, April 1, 1998
On April 1, 1998 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Cessna 195A, registered N1069D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bend, Oregon (Bend Municipal Airport). It was an instructional 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
Separation by fracture of the left main gear leg, as the result of fatigue cracks that initiated in corrosion pits on the gear leg surface.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 1998 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Bend Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195A · all 195As on the register
- Registration
- N1069D · registry record · serial 7681
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll, when the dual student allowed the tailwheel aircraft to drift too close to the right side of the runway, the instructor applied left rudder and left brake. As he took this corrective action, the left main gear leg fractured and separated from the aircraft. NTSB examination of the fracture surface revealed that two fatigue cracks had initiated in corrosion pits created where the gear leg rubbed against the gear leg clamping system. The two cracks eventually combined to become one, and when loads were applied during the landing roll, an overstress separation stemming from the fatigue fracture region occurred.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,833 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 3,520 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs 755-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S07 at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.