- Date
- October 24, 1989, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- So Lake Tahoe, CA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N30228Cessna 177
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891024043719A
- Case key
- 26597
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
The pilot's decision to continue VFR flight after encountering instrument meteorological conditions.
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - clouds
Weather condition - low ceiling
Preflight briefing service - selected
Weather forecast - disregardedCause
Flight into known adverse weather - attemptedCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - mountainous/hilly
Weather condition - obscuration
Vfr flight into imc - intentionalCause
Autopilot - selected
Spiral - initiated
Overconfidence in personal abilityFactor
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30228
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701134
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edward A. Morris
- Departed
- MOD · Modesto, CA
- Destination
- O04 · Carson City, NV
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 450 total · 50 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVL, 10 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.