- Date
- November 14, 1992, 19:15 local (Nov 15, 1992, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- War, WV
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N34664Cessna 177B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921114046549A
- Case key
- 11863
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions, his failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation, and the pilot allowing the design stress limits of the aircraft to be exceeded. Factors related to the accident were failure of the pilot to obtain a preflight weather briefing, darkness, and the adverse weather condiiton.
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.
Analysis
The student pilot and his two passengers departed the airport during hours of darkness. A weather briefing was not obtained. The flight was over mountainous terrain and encountered low clouds and heavy snowfall. Witnesses heard the airplane overhead but could not see it until it descended out from the clouds in a 'twisting' motion. The left wing had separated in flight in positive bending, followed by the rudder. The remainder of the airplane impacted terrain about 1000 feet from the left wing. No pre impact mechanical malfunctions were found with the airframe or engine. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and did not obtain flight training in it.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34664
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701928
- Airframe hours
- 1,738
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Litco Brokers, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Litco Brokers, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 17, 1992 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- I25 · Welch, WV
- Destination
- 1A6 · Middlesboro, KY
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 250 total · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.