Cessna 177A accident near Ely, Nevada, August 5, 1984
On August 5, 1984 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 177A, registered N30394, was destroyed in an accident near Ely, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- August 5, 1984 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Ely, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177A · all 177As on the register
- Registration
- N30394 · no longer on the register · serial 17701232
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN DURING A NIGHT X-COUNTRY. NO FLT PLAN WAS FILED. RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WERE NORMAL DURING THE SHORT (40 MILE) FLT, UNTIL THE PLT WAS ASKED TO CHANGE TRANSPONDER CODES. THE TRANSPONDER SIGNAL CEASED INSTEAD. THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED ON THE WEST SLOPES OF A VALLEY RUNNING NORTH/SOUTH BETWEEN MT RANGES IN AN AREA CHARACTERIZED BY GENTLY RISING TERRAIN. AN ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED ON 3/1/85, ABOUT 7 MONTHS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE DELAY WAS DUE TO THE FAILURE IN LOCATING THE ACFT, WHICH BECAME OVERDUE (MISSING) ON 8/6/84. SKELETAL REMAINS OF THE PLT, FOUND 2 MILES FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE, MADE PATHOLOGICAL TESTS VERY DIFFICULT. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE OF ASKULL FRACTURE WAS PRESENT. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE ON THE REMAINS OR CLOTHING OF THE PLT. THE PAX REMAINS WERE FOUND NEAR THE REAR COCKPIT AREA OF THE WRECKAGE AND THERE WAS SOME EVIDENCE OF FIRE INVOLVEMENT ON THE CLOTHING COVERING ON LOWER EXTREMITY.
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: 177 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 122 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,586 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1983; 160 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 3:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from SLC, 135 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.