Cessna 177 accident near Regan, North Dakota, December 3, 1996
On December 3, 1996 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N30255, was substantially damaged in an accident near Regan, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather. Factors were clouds, the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision making, his poor evaluation of the weather, and the encounter with unsuitable terrain for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1996 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Regan, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N30255 · registry record · serial 17701153
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot obtained a weather forecast in the morning for a flight initiated in the afternoon. While en route he encountered low clouds short of his destination. He called the airport of intended landing and found that the existing weather was instrument meteorological conditions. He descended through a hole in the clouds in an attempt to locate visual instrument conditions, was unable to do so, and made an emergency landing on unsuitable terrain.
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: 1,074 hours in all; 354 in this make and model; 1,008 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,050 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1996; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ND17 Harvey ND at 8:00 pm
- Destination: BIS Bismarck ND
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N30255 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.