Cessna 177RG accident near Mobile, Alabama, April 14, 1983
On April 14, 1983, a Cessna 177RG, registered N2765V, was destroyed in an accident near Mobile, Alabama (Bates Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 1983
- Place
- Mobile, Alabama · Bates Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N2765V · registry record · serial 177RG0689
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD NOT FLOWN ACTIVELY FOR APRX 1 YR. HOWEVER, SHORTLY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, HE HAD TOLD FRIENDS THAT HE HAD MISSED FLYING & WAS GOING TO RESUME THIS ACTIVITY. HE RECEIVED A CHECKOUT IN THE CESSNA 177RG ON 12/12/82 IN ANTICIPATION OF FLYING AGAIN. THIS WAS THE LAST RECORD OF THE PLT'S FLT ACTIVITY THAT WAS FOUND. AT APRX 1815 CST ON 4/13/83, HE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT & TOLD SEVERAL PEOPLE HE WAS GOING FOR A REFRESHER/PLEASURE FLT. HE TOOK OFF AT 1840 (21 MIN AFTER OFFICIAL SUNSET). ABOUT 15 MIN LATER, WHEN THE PLT TERMINATED RADAR SERVICE, HE REPORTED THAT HE HAD A SEVERE CASE OF VERTIGO & INDICATED HE WOULD RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE ARPT. A SHORT TIME LATER, SAID HE MAY NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION. HE THEN STATED THAT HE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO THAT ARPT & WAS EXPERIENCING 'BLIND SPOTS' & A 'FAST HEART BEAT.' SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE MIDDLE OF A ROW OF CONCRETE SILOS AT NIGHT. NO PREIMPACT,MECHANICAL FAILURE WAS EVIDENT. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD RECENT FAINTING SPELLS, HAD A HISTORY OF DEPRESSION.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,506 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 11, 1982; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOB Mobile AL at 11:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 21 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from MOB, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.