Cessna 177RG accident near Nyssa, Oregon, September 29, 1989
On September 29, 1989, a Cessna 177RG, registered N8055G, was destroyed in an accident near Nyssa, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ATTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE BEFORE FLYING OVER MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT, RISING/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND PROBABLE IMPAIRMENT FROM A PRESCRIPTION DRUG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1989
- Place
- Nyssa, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N8055G · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DEPD NAMPA ARPT AT ABOUT 1630 LCL TIME. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE PLT HAD LANDED AT AN UNATTENDED STRIP NEAR OWYHEE RESERVOIR & THAT THE OCCUPANTS HAD DEPLANED FOR A TIME. EARLY THE NEXT MORNING AT 0118 HRS, AN ELT SIGNAL WAS DETECTED IN THE AREA. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AFTER DAYBREAK & THE ACFT WAS FND WHERE IT HAD IMPACTED ABOUT 100 FT BELOW THE TOP OF A RIDGE, APRX 1 MI WEST OF THE STRIP. ELEVATION OF THE STRIP WAS 2680 FT. ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 3350 FT. THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH ABOUT 20 DEG RISING TERRAIN. THE PLT'S URINE TESTED POSITIVE FOR BENZODIAZEPINES. TESTS SHOWED HIS BLOOD CONTAINED 0.09 MG/L DIAZEPAM & 0.11 MG/L NORDIAZEPAM. THERAPEUTIC RANGES OF THESE SUBSTANCES WERE RPRTD TO BE 0.02 TO 2.0 MG/L FOR DIAZEPAM & 0.02 TO 1.8 MG/L FOR NORDIAZEPAM.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,513 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,080 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 5, 1989; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.