Cessna 177B accident near Starrucca, Pennsylvania, December 12, 1982
On December 12, 1982 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N34595, was destroyed in an accident near Starrucca, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- December 12, 1982 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Starrucca, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N34595 · no longer on the register · serial 17701891
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ADVISED OF ICING CONDITIONS, TURBULENCE, SNOWSHOWERS AND SNOW SQUALLS ALONG RIDGES NORTH OF THE WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON, PA AREA. THE WEATHER BRIEFER INDICATED THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. ALSO, AN INSTRUCTOR PILOT AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT ADVISED THE PILOT NOT TO LEAVE SO LATE IN THE DAY. AT ABOUT 1530 EST, THE PILOT TOOK OFF. AT 1556 EST, HE CONTACTED THE BIRMINGHAM TOWER FOR ASSISTANCE AFTER HE ENCOUNTERED ADVERSE WEATHER. FOR OVER AN HOUR, TOWER PERSONNEL TRIED TO ASSIST THE STUDENT. THE PILOT'S LAST KNOWN TRANSMISSION WAS AT 1706 AFTER HE HAD REPORTED THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER HE WAS FLYING UP OR DOWN. THE PLANE IMPACTED IN A WOODED AREA AFTER DARK IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. A WITNESS, WHO HEARD THE CLEARED UP SHORTLY AFTERWARDS.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 186 hours in all; 106 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 45 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,387 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Honesdale PA
- Destination: Sracuse NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from BGM, 32 miles away
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.