Cessna 177RG accident near Placerville, California, April 29, 1986
On April 29, 1986 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N34020, was destroyed in an accident near Placerville, California (So. Lake Tahoe airport). 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 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
- April 29, 1986 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · So. Lake Tahoe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N34020 · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0950
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ENROUTE TO SAN FRANCISCO, CA THE ENGINE BEGAN TO OVERSPEED & THE PROP GOV CONTROL WAS NOT EFFECTIVE IN ARRESTING/CONTROLLING THE OVERSPEED CONDITION. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE DEPLETED TO ZERO. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND IN THE ICE HOUSE RESERVOIR. THE PLT & PAX WERE RESCUED BY LOCAL BOATERS. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DISCLOSED THE GOVERNOR OIL PRESSURE LINE WAS CHAFFING AGAINST THE ENGINE CRANKCASE AND FRACTURED. THE LINE WAS NOT SECURED WITH CLAMPS AS REQUIRED BY THE AVCO LYCOMING MAINTENANCE MANUAL. A 100-HOUR INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED ON THE ACFT THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.
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: 409 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 349 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 1986; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-AIB6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVL So. Lake Tahoe CA at 10:15 pm
- Destination: SFO San Francisco CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from TVL, 16 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.