Cessna 205 N8403Z

Summary

On 27 December 1988 at about 22:35 local time, a Cessna 205 registered N8403Z, operated by Raymund R. Wilbur III, was involved in an accident near Cottage Grove, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

27 December 1988 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Cottage Grove, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

43.7095, -123.0302

Aircraft

Cessna 205

Registration

N8403Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Raymund R. Wilbur III

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Eugene

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA89LA030

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE STUDENT PILOT TOOK OFF ON A SOLO FLIGHT FROM AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT AT COTTAGE GROVE IN MARGINAL WEATHER CONDITIONS. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, HE TRANSMITTED TO EUGENE TOWER (WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES NORTH) THAT HE HAD ENCOUNTERED 'WHITE-OUT' CONDITIONS. SUBSEQUENTLY, APPROACH CONTROL IDENTIFIED THE AIRCRAFT'S POSITION ON RADAR AND ATTEMPTED TO VECTOR THE AIRCRAFT TO EUGENE AIRPORT. HOWEVER, THE STUDENT WAS UNABLE TO HOLD A HEADING OR ALTITUDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT AND CRASHED. THE 1450 PST WEATHER AT EUGENE WAS: 2000 FT SCATTERED, 4000 FT OVERCAST WITH 10 MILES VISIBILITY. A PILOT WITNESS ESTIMATED THE WEATHER AT COTTAGE GROVE WAS: 800 FT BROKEN CEILING, VISIBILITY ONE MILE WITH RAIN AND FOG.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.