- Date
- October 6, 1985, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Medford, OR
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7798XCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851006049149A
- Case key
- 40317
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The acft collided with rocky terrain during an attempted forced landing following a loss of pwr. A witness reported seeing the acft in a steep descending left turn at an alt of aprx 100 ft AGL. The descent continued until the left wing contacted the terrain. Post accident inspection of the acft disclosed 1.5 gallons of fuel remaining in the right fuel tank. The left fuel tank was found empty.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7798X
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17248298
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Don L. Hirschy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 6, 1985 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- 4S1 · Gold Beach, OR
- Destination
- MFR · Medford, OR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 14,000 ft broken
- Observed at
- MFR, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.