- Date
- December 12, 1982, 17:10 local (22:10 UTC)
- Place
- Starrucca, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N34595Cessna 177B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 12, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821212063419A
- Case key
- 72716
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
During a weather briefing before takeoff, the student pilot was advised of icing conditions, turbulence, snowshowers and snow squalls along ridges north of the wilkes-barre/scranton, PA area. The weather briefer indicated that VFR flight was not recommended. Also, an instructor pilot at the departure airport advised the pilot not to leave so late in the day. At about 1530 EST, the pilot took off. At 1556 EST, he contacted the birmingham tower for assistance after he encountered adverse weather. For over an hour, tower personnel tried to assist the student. The pilot's last known transmission was at 1706 after he had reported that he didn't know whether he was flying up or down. The plane impacted in a wooded area after dark in a steep nose down attitude. A witness, who heard the cleared up shortly afterwards.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34595
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701891
- Airframe hours
- 1,387
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stelios Roccos
- Registered owner
- Alexis Aviation Corp.
- Departed
- Honesdale, PA
- Destination
- Sracuse, NY
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 186 total · 106 in this make and model · 45 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Temperature
- 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BGM, 32 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.