Cessna 177RG accident near Afton, Wyoming, December 10, 1987
On December 10, 1987 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N1868Q, was destroyed in an accident near Afton, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- December 10, 1987 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Afton, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N1868Q · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0268
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS NOT CERTIFIED NOR EQUIPPED FOR FLT INTO ICING CONDITIONS. THE PLT ELECTED TO DEPART EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ADVISED BY THE CREW OF A C-182 THAT HAD JUST LNDD TO STAY BELOW THE CLOUDS BECAUSE OF ICING. AFTER TKOF THE ACFT CLEARED AN 11000 FT MTN RANGE BUT COLLIDED WITH THE NEXT RANGE WHILE IN A WINGS LEVEL DESCENT AT 9200 FT. THE ACFT WAS NOT FOUND UNTIL JUNE 14, 1988. RECORDS AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATE THAT THE WEATHER IN THE AREA OF THE ACCD AT THE TIME WAS OVERCAST SKIES WITH SNOW AND MODERATE ICING IN THE CLOUDS.
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: 1,114 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFO Afton WY at 4:30 pm
- Destination: APA Englewood CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from RKS, 120 miles away
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.
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.