Cessna 177RG accident near S Lake Tahoe, California, January 19, 1987
On January 19, 1987 at about 6:15 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N123DJ, was destroyed in an accident near S Lake Tahoe, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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
- January 19, 1987 · about 6:15 am local time
- Place
- S Lake Tahoe, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N123DJ · registry record · serial 177RG 1366
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING AT NIGHT FROM SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA, THE PLT CONTACTED ARTCC & REQUESTED RADAR FLT FOLLOWING. A SHORT TIME LATER, HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY & SAID HE WAS REVERSING COURSE WITH A LOSS OF ENG POWER. RADAR & RADIO CONTACT WITH THE ACFT WERE LOST AS IT WAS RETURNING OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE WEST FACE OF A MOUNTAIN ABOUT 10 MI WEST OF THE DEP ARPT. DUE TO ITS REMOTE LOCATION, THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT EXAMINED UNTIL IT WAS RECOVERED ON 6/4/87. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DRG THE INVESTIGATION. THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE WAS FOUND IN THE OFF POSITION.
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: 794 hours in all; 239 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 708 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 1986; 277 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVL S Lake Tahoe CA at 6:05 am
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 am from RNO, 41 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX87FA093.