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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1999 · about 10:34 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Klamath Falls, Oregon · Klamath Falls Intl · cases near this airport · 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N870DR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Ryan NAVION B 68 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Ryan 368 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-G2D6 3 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Crater Lake/Klamath Regional · nearest airport
- Nut Tree Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,011 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA99LA088.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.