Cessna 177RG accident near Santa Maria, California, December 15, 1984
On December 15, 1984, a Cessna 177RG, registered N34992, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Maria, California (Santa Maria airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 15, 1984
- Place
- Santa Maria, California · Santa Maria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N34992 · registry record · serial 177RG1034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TOUCHDOWN ON A TOUCH-AND-GO LNDG, ACFT VEERED LEFT AND LEFT WING CAME UP, RAISING LEFT WHEEL OFF GROUND. PLT CORRECTED WITH AILERON AND ADDED POWER FOR GO-AROUND BUT ACFT WAS OFF RUNWAY AND TRAVERSING SOFT TERRAIN; LIFT-OFF SPEED WAS NOT ATTAINED AND THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE STUMP.
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: 161 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 161 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 465 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Santa Maria Cloudniners INC
The flight
- Departed from: SMX Santa Maria CA at 11:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.