Ryan NAVION B accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, June 17, 1999
On June 17, 1999 at about 10:34 pm local time, a Ryan NAVION B, registered N870DR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon (Klamath Falls Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to reinstall the engine oil filler cap during preflight, resulting in engine oil loss and the necessity for an immediate landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1999 · about 10:34 pm local time
- Place
- Klamath Falls, Oregon · Klamath Falls Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION B · all NAVION Bs on the register
- Registration
- N870DR · registry record · serial NAV-4-2190-B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot added 1 quart of oil to the engine during preflight, but forgot to replace the oil filler cap. Immediately after takeoff from runway 14, the pilot noted oil on the top of the engine cowling and the windscreen. The pilot then requested an immediate return and was cleared to land on any runway. The pilot made a '60 [degree] left turn to runway 25' and attempted a landing with the 'engine...running roughly', but he stated that 'due to altitude' he was unable to make it back to the runway. The aircraft landed at about a 45-degree angle just to the north side of the runway in the dirt area. The landing was sufficiently hard to punch the right main landing gear through the top of the right wing.
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: 736 hours in all; 351 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 636 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,766 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1998; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-G2D6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LMT at 10:34 pm
- Destination: VCB Vacaville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,972 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from LMT
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA99LA088.