Hope you’re enjoying a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Flew my little ship over to Wakonda Beach (R33).

Note: Wakonda (R33) has been a very dangerous grass strip. I know a pilot and passenger that were taken away in ambulances. And aircraft taken away on flatbed trucks. Please use extreme caution.

What's dangerous about it?

ZPilot wrote:What's dangerous about it?

The following are (2) empirical accidents I was told of. There have been other mishaps.

Disclaimer: For entertainment only! This is hearsay and not verified. If you can do a search in the NTSB database for LOCATION = “Wakonda” there might be more records.

#1) A guy from my airport took off (Northbound RWY 34) with a passenger, the field was apparently very wet and bumpy. The aircraft struck the threshold wires and crashed. Both occupants were seriously injured. The pilot recovered and the passenger has a permanent disability. There was talk that the pilot didn’t read the wind and maybe was departing downwind. However, there are vicious wind shears during atmospheric lows.

#2) Another hangar neighbor of mine spent (3) months restoring a C172 including a complete engine overhaul. The very first cross country he tried a landing at Wakonda Beach. The nose gear buried in the soft grass, the aircraft suffered a prop strike and severe wing damage.

Isobars for precipitation converge on the coast of Oregon, which concludes the Oregon coast has the highest amount of annual rain than anywhere in the continental US (CONUS). This makes it very unpredictable for a grass strip. Flooding, puddles and sinkholes are possibilities.

I would only land there with my 31s on my Scout during the rainy season. And never with amphibious landing gear.

Thank you for watching!

8GCBC wrote:.....Isobars for precipitation converge on the coast of Oregon, which concludes the Oregon coast has the highest amount of annual rain than anywhere in the continental US (CONUS). .....

I don't think I'd agree.
Here's an online rainfall table:

Oregon Coast
Average yearly precipitation
Days Place Inches Milli­metres
196 Astoria 70.3 1785
147 Brookings 78.0 1981
145 Gold Beach 75.2 1910
171 Newport 67.3 1709
159 North Bend 59.1 1502
158 Port Orford 71.6 1819
181 Seaside 76.7 1948
197 Tillamook 89.8 2282

So Tillamook is soggiest at 89.8".
The Hoh rain forest, couple hundred miles north of that in Washington, gets more.
From wiki:

Climate
Hoh Rainforest is the wettest forest in the Contiguous United States, receiving 129 inches (3,300 mm) of rain per year. It is an Oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), with a much higher rainfall during the winter

hotrod180 wrote:

8GCBC wrote:.....Isobars for precipitation converge on the coast of Oregon, which concludes the Oregon coast has the highest amount of annual rain than anywhere in the continental US (CONUS). .....

I don't think I'd agree.
Here's an online rainfall table:

Oregon Coast
Average yearly precipitation
Days Place Inches Milli­metres
196 Astoria 70.3 1785
147 Brookings 78.0 1981
145 Gold Beach 75.2 1910
171 Newport 67.3 1709
159 North Bend 59.1 1502
158 Port Orford 71.6 1819
181 Seaside 76.7 1948
197 Tillamook 89.8 2282

So Tillamook is soggiest at 89.8".
The Hoh rain forest, couple hundred miles north of that in Washington, gets more.
From wiki:

Climate
Hoh Rainforest is the wettest forest in the Contiguous United States, receiving 129 inches (3,300 mm) of rain per year. It is an Oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), with a much higher rainfall during the winter

I was generally speaking about sea level. Not an isolated orographic rain forest in the Olympic NP!

Interesting info thank you. I learned something.

Before any consideration please read AFD really closely. Many hazards:

WALDPORT
WAKONDA BEACH STATE (R33)
3S UTC-8(-7DT)
N44°23.07' W124°05.11'
KLAMATH FALLS
41 NOTAM FILE MMV RWY 16-34: 2000X30 (TURF)
RWY 16: Trees.
RWY 34: Trees.
AIRPORT REMARKS: Unattended. Owner advises ctc Oregon Dept of Aviation 503-378-4880 prior to use. Ldg to the south and tkf to the north not recommended. Rwy sfc may be soft after extv winter rains. Standing water may be present durg hvy rain. Many 10-35' trees at 30-250' from wy end both sides of centerline in apch area. Numerous other 2-6' trees within 50' of wy end both sides of centerline. Rwy 34 curve apch from southwest to avoid high terrain and trees rgt at 800'. Rwy 34 has rising terrain and ditch 7' wide and 2' deep at 10' from thid. Ruy 16 has a road, +30' trees, and a p-line across the apch path within 50' of rwy end. 15' trees at 175 ' from Rwy 34 on cntrin. +30' trees at 70-90' from wy along both sides. Rwy 16-34 white tires mark wy ends. Sfc conds not rprtd.
AIRPORT MANAGER: 503-378-4880
COMMUNICATIONS: CTAF 122.9
CLEARANCE DELIVERY PHONE: For CD ctc Seattle ARTCC at 253-351-3694.

Can anyone beat this for rainfall?

I lived in Carson Washington in the Columbia River Gorge on the Wind River in SW Washington, elevation 469 feet, for a year and and a half. I put up a rain gauge and recorded the amount of rain each day for a year. In 1975 from Jan 1 to December 31 it rained 95 inches (7.9 feet). At the Wind River Ranger Station seven miles up the Wind River in Hemlock WA , elevation 942 feet, we got 120 inches (10 Feet) of precipitation.

It didn't snow much in Carson, It was 35 degrees F and snowing flakes as big as pancakes one afternoon. When it got to be about 10 inches deep I got out my snow shovel and shoveled my driveway before I went to bed. The neighbors were looking at me like I had a screw loose. The next morning it was 40 degrees F, raining, and the snow was all gone.

The old timers at the Ranger Station said that in January 1968 it snowed a foot a day for 29 days. The electric linemen were working on Skis.

tcj wrote:Can anyone beat this for rainfall?

I lived in Carson Washington in the Columbia River Gorge on the Wind River in SW Washington, elevation 469 feet, for a year and and a half. I put up a rain gauge and recorded the amount of rain each day for a year. In 1975 from Jan 1 to December 31 it rained 95 inches (7.9 feet). At the Wind River Ranger Station seven miles up the Wind River in Hemlock WA , elevation 942 feet, we got 120 inches (10 Feet) of precipitation.

It didn't snow much in Carson, It was 35 degrees F and snowing flakes as big as pancakes one afternoon. When it got to be about 10 inches deep I got out my snow shovel and shoveled my driveway before I went to bed. The neighbors were looking at me like I had a screw loose. The next morning it was 40 degrees F, raining, and the snow was all gone.

The old timers at the Ranger Station said that in January 1968 it snowed a foot a day for 29 days. The electric linemen were working on Skis.

Definitely more rain than the Oregon Coast! I never knew there was that much precipitation in that area. Thank you folks for correcting my assumptions.

Stay warm and safe.

8GCBC wrote:I was generally speaking about sea level. Not an isolated orographic rain forest in the Olympic NP!
Interesting info thank you. I learned something.

Forks WA is a town on the Olympic Peninsula about 10 miles east of the Pacific coast,
and about 20 miles WNW of the Hoh rain forest.
Right on highway 101, so not what I'd call isolated.
Annual precip is generally about 120".

hotrod180 wrote:

8GCBC wrote:I was generally speaking about sea level. Not an isolated orographic rain forest in the Olympic NP!
Interesting info thank you. I learned something.

Forks WA is a town on the Olympic Peninsula about 10 miles east of the Pacific coast,
and about 20 miles WNW of the Hoh rain forest.
Right on highway 101, so not what I'd call isolated.
Annual precip is generally about 120".

I’m referring to the geographic footprint compared to the rest of the US. It’s very small (or isolated). Again I am referring to a geographic region.

single; exceptional.
"they were isolated incidents"

Is there an airport there or something of concern to you? Or just a fun fact?