Private Flight, Cessna 172K
Location: Gearhart, Oregon
Date: August 4, 2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172K, N828CC
At approximately 6:48 a.m. Pacific Daylight time on August 4, 2008, a single-engine plane crashed into a home in Gearhart, Oregon, approximately one mile from its takeoff at Seaside Municipal Airport. The crash killed the pilot and sole passenger as well as three children inside the home.
The residence sustained the brunt of the crash after the plane collided with a pine tree. It was a rental home which was occupied by the family of former Oregon Attorney General Lee Johnson. Johnson’s two daughters, their husbands and their children had checked in to the rental home and were starting what would have been a two week vacation. At the time of the crash, one of Johnson’s daughters, her husband and oldest daughter were out of the house on an early morning walk. They arrived back at the rental home to find it engulfed in flames. Three children in the home, ages 12, 10 and 8 years old were killed due to the crash and ensuing fire. One of Johnson’s daughters and two of his grandchildren survived the crash and resulting fire, however they sustained injuries.
The pilot, Jason Ketcheson, had rented the Cessna 172K on August 3, 2008, for a business trip to Klamath Falls, Oregon, the next day. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) database states that the 1969 Cessna 172K aircraft was owned by Aviation Adventures, LLC, in Seaside, Oregon. According to the State of Oregon’s Business Registry, Allen Sprague is the registered agent of Aviation Adventures, LLC.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash and has issued a preliminary report. According to the report, the flight was operating under the provisions of CFR, Part 91. There was no flight plan filed. At this time, the cause of the crash is unknown, however it was reported from the Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at Astoria Regional Airport, eight miles north of the crash, that the winds were calm, with 2.5 miles of visibility in the mist, a 300 foot overcast layer and a temperature at the dew point.
The Motley Rice aviation team is researching this accident and any legal responsibility that the pilot, Aviation Adventures, LLC, or Cessna may have to the families of the victims of this tragic accident. If you or someone you know is interested in seeking legal recourse due to wrongful death or personal injury as a result of this accident, please contact Motley Rice aviation attorney Mary Schiavo by email or call +1 800.868.6456.