- Date
- May 21, 1992, 17:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- St. Ignatius, MT
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N30922Cessna 177B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920521022129A
- Case key
- 41580
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 in command's inadvertently allowing the aircraft to enter into a stall/spin. Factors contributing to the accident were: terrain condition, rising terrain, and the pilot in command's lack of familiarity with the geographic area.
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 accident site was located at the 7500 foot level of mountainous terrain in a draw which sloped uphill at a gradient of +15 degrees to the west. On site examination indicated that the aircraft impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude with the wreckage coming to rest approximately 45 feet east-southeast and downslope of the impact site. There was no evidence of powerplant nor control malfunction. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed no previous flight experience within the state of Montana nor any documented mountain flight experience.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30922
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701547
- Airframe hours
- 3,641
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Fayler, Lawrence R.
- Registered owner
- Fayler, Lawrence R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 18, 1991 · 166 hours before
- Destination
- 52S
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 794 total · 534 in this make and model · 733 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSO, 24 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.
Other investigations on N30922 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.