- Date
- February 5, 1983, 21:16 local (Feb 6, 1983, 05:16 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1547HCessna 177RG
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830205004269A
- Case key
- 23421
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
The acft collided with a mountain during a night cross-country. The weather was VMC at takeoff but became IMC later nearthe mountains. A VFR flight plan was filed but never opened. The pilot continued flight into an area of known IMC conditions. He had returned to Las Vegas once and asked for more weather briefing. Shortly after his second departure, at night he asked for ATC help for separation through Las Vegas, CA. He was observed climbing in heavy rain. About 15 minutes later at 1226, he reported navigational problems. ATC gave him a heading for a return. ATC personnel observed that the aircraft commenced a turn which tightened and then the target disappeared from the radar scope. The aircraft impacted about 65 ft below a ridge line at an elevation of about 3500 ft MSL. It impacted rising terrain with the right wing first, the aircraft traveled 58 ft upslope before coming to rest. Mountain tops in the area were obscured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1547H
- Reported as
- Cessna 177RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0721
- Airframe hours
- 2,473
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Vernon Walker Pittman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 10, 1982 · 77 hours before
- Departed
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- TOA · Torrance, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 410 total · 15 in this make and model · 360 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Temperature
- 43 °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.