- Date
- December 8, 1991, 16:26 local (21:26 UTC)
- Place
- Dalmatia, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N30832Cessna 177B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911208055039A
- Case key
- 37118
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 failure to maintain proper altitude and object clearance which resulted in a collision with power lines.
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 pilot stated that, 'while flying southwest above the river with my attention on other things I allowed my altitude to deteriorate to the point that when I saw the wires it was too late to avoid them.' The airplane crashed in the river and the pilot swam to shore.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30832
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701492
- Airframe hours
- 2,404
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Neil D. Sturm
- Registered owner
- Neil D. Sturm
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 20, 1991 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- SEG · Sellensgrove, PA
- Destination
- OPS7 · Halifax, PA
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 208 total · 182 in this make and model · 172 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N30832 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.