Piper PA-28-140 accident near Grand Ronde, OR
On October 15, 2004, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grand Ronde, OR. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 15, 2004
- Place
- Grand Ronde, OR
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 45.017°N, 123.756°W
- NTSB ID
- 20041020X01662
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 14, 2004, approximately 1800 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N454FL, operated by a private pilot, was destroyed after impacting trees and mountainous terrain about 7 miles southwest of Grand Ronde, Oregon. A post-crash fire ensued. The airplane was registered to and operated by Cirrus Aviation, LLC, of McMinnville, Oregon. The private pilot and two passengers on board the airplane were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was being conducted in accordance with 14 CFR Part 91. The local flight departed the McMinnville Municipal Airport (MMV), at 1700. In an interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), the owner of the fixed base operation where the airplane was rented reported that the pilot and his two passengers were going on a local flight; however, the destination and intent of the flight was not known. The owner stated that the pilot told her that he planned to return at approximately 1900. Subsequent to the pilot's failure to return at the specified time, an alert notification (ALNOT) was issued for the missing aircraft at 2259. Approximately 1400 on October 15, 2004, the aircraft was located in dense forested mountain terrain approximately 7 nautical miles southwest of Grand Ronde, and 2 nautical miles northeast of Saddle Bag Mountain. A hunter who was in the general vicinity of the crash site on the evening of the accident reported hearing an airplane, then looked up to see a light aircraft approaching [from] a southerly direction toward
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from high terrain while maneuvering. A factor contributing to the accident was the high terrain.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
- Piper PA-28-180, Sep 1, 1984
- Piper PA-28RT-201, Mar 12, 1984
- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
