Cessna 177RG accident near Great Falls, Montana, December 6, 1987
On December 6, 1987 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N8035G, suffered minor damage in an accident near Great Falls, Montana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 6, 1987 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Great Falls, Montana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N8035G · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0035
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT WAS PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. AFTER FINDING THAT THE STARTER WOULD NOT OPERATE PROPERLY, THE PLT TRIED TO MANUALLY REPOSITON THE PROPELLER. THE IGNITION WAS STILL ON AND THE ENGINE FIRED. THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE PLT'S RIGHT LEG.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 854 hours in all; 299 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 19 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from GTF
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.