# Accident 19961104034789A: Cessna 177B, Chancellor, SD, November 4, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 4, 1996, 21:04 local time
- Place: Chancellor, SD
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.3703° N, 96.9805° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.3703&lon=-96.9805&mi=10
- Aircraft: N34994, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N34994-1998-04-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 177B (registry code 2073708, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-177b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 177B
- Reported engine: LYC O360A1F6
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,350 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI97FA024](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA024) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961104034789A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

VFR PILOT FLYING INTO IFR CONDITIONS, UNABLE TO LAND DUE TO WEATHER, VECTORED TO TEA AIRPORT, CRASHED. (.4)THE NONINSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE WITH AN INOPERATIVE DIRECTIONAL GYRO.  THE FLIGHT ARRIVED AND REQUESTED A LANDING AT A CONTROLLED AIRPORT AT NIGHT, IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.  THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER SUGGESTED HEADINGS TO AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT; HOWEVER, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO NAVIGATE TO THAT LOCATION. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED CONTROLLED FLIGHT AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN.  SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY ADDITIONAL PRE-EXISTING ANOMALIES IN THE AIRPLANE.         (-23) ON NOVEMBER 4, 1996, AT 2108 CST, A CESSNA 177B OWNED AND OPERATED BY PRIVATE PILOT SHIRLEY GEORGE CLARK DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR WHILE IN CONTACT WITH SIOUX FALLS APPROACH. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED SCOTTSBLUFF, NEBRASKA ON A FAR PART 91 VFR FLIGHT TO SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA. THE WEATHER AT SIOUX FALLS WAS IFR. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DEMOLISHED AND THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THERE WERE                                               NO OTHER PASSENGERS ON BOARD.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI97FA024](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA024), Nov 5, 1996: Cessna 177B (N34994), Chancellor, SD, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's attempted flight with known deficiencies in equipment, his initiating VFR flight into IMC conditions, his spatial disorientation and loss of control of the airplane. Factors were fog,…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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