- Date
- December 29, 1984, 20:36 local (Dec 30, 1984, 02:36 UTC)
- Place
- Galveston, TX
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2823QCessna 172L
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841229069729A
- Case key
- 21522
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
A recently certificated private pilot with no known instrument training was given a 'VFR not recommended' weather briefing for a return trip on a pleasure flight. Weather conditions were predicted to, and did, deteriorate rapidly. He took off and turned on course, encountered IMC and lost control of the aircraft before leaving the airport boundary. The aircraft impacted the ground in a steep inverted dive.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2823Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 172L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17259823
- Engine
- Lycoming 0320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Royce Hayden Morgan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · November 18, 1984 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- GLS · Galveston, TX
- Destination
- IWS · Houston, TX
- Airport
- GLS · Scholes, runway 13, 6,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GLS, 1 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.