Maule M-7-235C accident near Brookings, Oregon, August 21, 2011
On August 21, 2011 at about 7:12 pm local time, a Maule M-7-235C, registered N199BF, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Brookings, Oregon (Brookings Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees while on approach for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2011 · about 7:12 pm local time
- Place
- Brookings, Oregon · Brookings Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-7-235C · all M-7-235Cs on the register
- Registration
- N199BF · no longer on the register · serial 25032C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying the newly purchased airplane on a cross-country flight under visual flight rules (VFR); the pilot had not filed a VFR flight plan. As he neared his intermediate destination airport, the pilot obtained an in-flight weather briefing, which indicated that airmen's meteorological information (AIRMET) Sierra for instrument meteorological conditions was active and included the arrival airport and surrounding area. The AIRMET reported ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibility below 3 statute miles in broken conditions. The destination airport, located about 1 mile south of the accident site, reported visibility less than 1/4 statute mile, fog, and ceiling overcast at 200 feet. The pilot had not filed an instrument flight rules flight plan. It is likely that the pilot's visibility was obscured by clouds and that he did not realize how low he was flying while on approach to the airport. One witness reported seeing and hearing the airplane circling overhead while it was on approach to the airport and then hearing impact sounds. One witness reported seeing the airplane descend out of the cloud base, which he estimated was about 170 feet above the surface. He observed the airplane bank right, strike a tree, cartwheel, strike another tree, and then hit the ground. Another witness stated that she saw the airplane strike a tree and that, at the time, there was "a little fog." A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of visual reference during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 803.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 28, 2011
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-W1A5 (piston); 803 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Unknown OR
- Destination: BOK Brookings OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 6:32 pm from KBOK, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.