Piper PA20 - UNDESIGNAT accident near Dayton, Oregon, August 3, 2014
On August 3, 2014 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1950 Piper PA20 - UNDESIGNAT, registered N7462K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Dayton, Oregon. 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 decision to land on an unsuitable surface, which resulted in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2014 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dayton, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA20 - UNDESIGNAT UNDESIGNAT, built 1950 · all PA20 - UNDESIGNATs on the register
- Registration
- N7462K · registry record · serial 20-373
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had made 3 landings at unimproved landing sites on the morning prior to the accident with no issues. Subsequently, while landing on a gravel beach and after the main landing gear touched down with the tail wheel still elevated above the terrain, both main landing gear sank into a soft spot in the gravel; the airplane stopped and nosed over. The substantial damage to the airplane included the engine mount, front wing struts, the top of the rudder, and wing ribs being bent. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,986 hours in all; 828 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 8, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,668 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 29, 2013; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MMV Mcminnville OR at 3:00 pm
- Destination: MMV Mcminnville OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MMV, 7 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.