Cessna 177A accident near La Follette, Tennessee, October 18, 1988
On October 18, 1988 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna 177A, registered N30470, was destroyed in an accident near La Follette, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 1988 · about 6:10 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- La Follette, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177A · all 177As on the register
- Registration
- N30470 · registry record · serial 17701276
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED KNOXVILLE IN VFR CONDS. THERE WAS AN AREA OF IFR WX TO THE NORTH & NORTHWEST OF KNOXVILLE. THE WX WAS FORECAST TO BE MARGINAL ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLT. THE PLT RPRTD HE WANTED TO DEPART KNOXVILLE ON A HEADING OF 360 DEG & WOULD BE AT 2500'. THE MAX ELEV FOR THE SECTOR JUST NORTH OF KNOXVILLE WAS 3900'. THE 1349 EDT WX AT THE DEPARTURE ARPT (MCGHEE TYSON, ELEV 981') WAS 1900' OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 10 MI WITH RAIN & FOG. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEV OF 2350', APRX 27 MI NORTH OF MCGHEE TYSON. WITNESSES NEAR THE CRASH SITE INDICATED THE MOUNTAINS WERE OBSCURED BY CLOUDS, FOG & RAIN.
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
- Flight time: 530 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 449 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,836 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1988; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TYS Knoxville TN at 5:47 pm
- Destination: DNV Danville IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 14 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:49 pm from TYS, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N30470 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 177 Cardinal 2,159 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F 14 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- MC Ghee Tyson Airport · departed from
- Vermilion Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Tennessee 1,198 since 1982 · 231 in the last ten years
- Tennessee 6,535 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL89FA015.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.