Amateur-built GLASAIR II-FT accident near Vernonia, Oregon, July 20, 1998
On July 20, 1998 at about 9:24 pm local time, a amateur-built GLASAIR II-FT, registered N31066, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vernonia, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of aircraft control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 1998 · about 9:24 pm local time
- Place
- Vernonia, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GLASAIR II-FT GLASAIR II
- Registration
- N31066 · no longer on the register · serial 1001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed about 1030 on a 57-nautical-mile visual flight rules (VFR) flight, and failed to arrive at his destination. The wreckage of the aircraft was discovered about 1424 by a private landowner approximately 37 nautical miles from the departure airport, generally on the direct route from the departure point to the destination. The pilot was dead at the scene. The aircraft had impacted into a tree farm at approximately a 20- to 40-degree impact angle on a southeasterly track (the direct route from the departure point to the destination is northeasterly), and its nose section had separated during the impact sequence. Examinations of the wreckage disclosed no conclusive evidence of pre-impact mechanical problems with the aircraft. Autopsy of the pilot, who held a valid and current FAA third-class medical certificate, disclosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a contributing cause of death, with focal severe (greater than 90% occlusion) left anterior descending coronary artery atherosclerosis. It could not be conclusively established that the pilot had become incapacitated inflight.
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: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S47 Tillamook OR at 5:30 pm
- Destination: KLS Kelso WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from HIO, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.