Cessna 177RG accident near Cross Fork, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1982
On July 15, 1982 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N7584V, was destroyed in an accident near Cross Fork, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- July 15, 1982 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Cross Fork, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N7584V · no longer on the register · serial 177RGD875
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 2132 THE PLT CONTACTED FSS REPORTING HIS POSITION, LIGHTNING TO HIS EAST & REQUESTED WX AROUND HIS POSITION. HE WAS ADVISED OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY, DETERIORATING CONDITIONS & THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HE WAS ALSO ADVISED TO REVERSE COURSE. AT 2145 THE ACFT IMPACTED A MOUNTAIN. RADAR SUMMARIES FOR 2135 SHOWED THUNDERSTORM RAINSHOWER ACTIVITY PRESENT OVER NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. A CELL WITH A 1-4 LEVEL INTENSITY WAS PRESENT OVER THE ROUTE BETWEEN DEPARTURE POINT & CROSS FORK, PA. THE INCREASING LEVEL INTENSITY OF THE CELL OCCURRED OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE ROUTE. MAXIMUM TOPS RECORDED WAS 37,000 FT.
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: 220 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,368 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 74 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: C Wellsville NY
- Destination: C Chambersburg PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.