Cessna 180J accident near Lafitte, Louisiana, August 20, 1984
On August 20, 1984 at about 3:32 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N9786G, was destroyed in an accident near Lafitte, Louisiana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1984 · about 3:32 pm local time
- Place
- Lafitte, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N9786G · registry record · serial 18052286
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT APPROACH AN OIL PRODUCTION PLATFORM LOCATED IN A MARSHY AREA NEAR THE DESTINATION AIRSTRIP. THEY REPORTED THAT THE ACFT MADE AN ABRUPT, STEEP LEFT TURN AT 200 TO 300 FT AGL, FOLLOWED BY WHAT THEY DESCRIBED AS AN ACCELERATED STALL. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN A NOSE DOWN, LEFT WING DOWN, ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE PLT'S BLOOD/ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 0.211%.
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
What happened, in order
- LOSS OF CONTROL - IN FLIGHT during maneuvering
- IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN/WATER during descent - uncontrolled
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea, none, none, none
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: class 2
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,485 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 2, 1984; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Datachem CORP.
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: LA14 Harvey LA
- Destination: Bayou St. Denis LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°C, dew point 75°C
- Altimeter: 29 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW84FA354.