Cessna 177B accident near Lafayette, Georgia, January 15, 1984
On January 15, 1984 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N2146C, was destroyed in an accident near Lafayette, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 15, 1984 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2146C · registry record · serial 17702741
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN OPEN FIELD DURING AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT AFTER ENCOUNTERING FORECAST ICING CONDITIONS. THE PLT HAD RECEIVED WEATHER BRIEFINGS AND FILED A FLT PLAN INTO ICING CONDITIONS IN AN ACFT NOT EQUIPPED TO HANDLE ICING. THE PLT STAYED AT AN ICING LEVEL FOR ABOUT 19 MINUTES, 6 MINUTES OF WHICH WERE WITH HEAVY ICING ACCUMULATING AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 2 INCHES PER MINUTE. AT THIS TIME THE ACFT WAS TOO HEAVY TO CLIMB AND DURING DESCENT, CONTROL WAS LOST AND THE ACFT CRASHED.
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: 1,442 hours in all; 1,266 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,333 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1983; 1,368 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHA Chattanooga TN
- Destination: BOW Bartow FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from CHA, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.