Cessna 177RG accident near Briceville, Tennessee, April 7, 1988
On April 7, 1988 at about 1:55 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N46316, was destroyed in an accident near Briceville, Tennessee. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- April 7, 1988 · about 1:55 pm local time
- Place
- Briceville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N46316 · no longer on the register · serial 177RG1128
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD DEPARTED COFFEYVILLE, KS ON APR 5 FOR AN AIRPLANE DELIVERY FERRY FLT TO LINCOLNTON, NC HE LANDED AT CAPE GIRARDEAU AND REMAINED OVERNIGHT DUE TO ENROUTE WEATHER. HE DEPTD CGI THE FOLLOWING MORNING FOLLOWING A WX BRIEF THAT INDICATED MARGINAL CONDITIONS IN THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE FLT. AFTER AN UPDATE, HE ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB OVER THE REPTD CLOUD TOPS OF 15,000 FT. AT 14,000 HE NOTED THE CLOUDS STILL ABOVE AND ELECTED TO FLY BETWEEN LAYERS. AFTER ENCOUNTERING A SOLID CLOUDBANK, HE FOUND A HOLE AND DESCENDED BELOW THE CLOUDS. THE CLOUD BASES KEPT GETTING LOWER. AFTER ENTERING A VALLEY AND WHILE FLYING UP THE VALLEY, HE NOTED THE TREES WERE IN THE CLOUDS ALL AROUND. HE ENTERED A CLIMB AND COLLIDED WITH TREES AT 3,500 FT MSL. VFR MIN ALTITUDE FOR THE AREA WAS 3,900 FT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 429 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 258 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,548 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1987; 17 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: CGI Cape Girardeau MO at 11:00 am
- Destination: 5N4 Lincolnton NC
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.