Cessna 177RG N52838
14 October 1990 · De Funiak Spgs, Florida, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 14 October 1990 at about 01:25 local time, a Cessna 177RG registered N52838 was involved in an accident near De Funiak Spgs, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:25
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- De Funiak Spgs, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.8495, -86.1995
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG
- Registration
- N52838
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- St Petersburg → De Funiak Spgs
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- MIA91LA009
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE LOOSE FUEL CAP AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ASSURE THE AIRCRAFT WAS PROPERLY PREFLIGHTED, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL SIPHONING AND SUBSEQUENT FUEL EXHAUSTION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAULTY FUEL QUANTITY GAGES, THE PILOT'S DECISION TO FLY WITH KNOWN DEFICIENCIES IN THE AIRCRAFT, DARK NIGHT, LACK OF A SUITABLE LANDING AREA, AND THE VEHICLE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PLT STATED THAT DUE TO A BAD ANKLE, HE WAS UNABLE TO VISUALLY CHECK THE FUEL TANKS FOR QUANTITY, BUT HAD A LINE BOY DO THIS FOR HIM. HE RPRTD THE LINE BOY ESTIMATED THE FUEL TANKS NEEDED ABT 6 GAL TO BE FULL. THE PLT SAID HE NOTED THE FUEL GAGES INDCD ABT 1/4 FULL & ELECTED TO HAVE THEM FILLED; HOWEVER, AFTER DISCUSSING THE SITUATION WITH A COLLEAGUE, HE CANCELED THE FUEL ORDER. HE RPRTD THAT THE 30 MI FLT AT NIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL HE WAS BEGINNING A DSCNT, THEN THE ENG LOST POWER. HE WAS OVER A WOODED AREA & ELECTED TO LAND WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED. BEFORE LANDING, HE SAW A ROAD, BUT SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO EXTEND THE GEAR. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT HIT A CAR, THEN THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE DRIVER RCVD MINOR INJURIES. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE RGT FUEL CAP WAS LOOSE, WHICH ALLOWED FUEL TO SIPHON. RPRTDLY, THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO DETECT THE LOSS OF FUEL AT NIGHT, SINCE THE FUEL GAGE INDCNS DID NOT CHANGE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 177 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jan 1990 | Cessna 177B | Friday Harbor, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Apr 1990 | Cessna 177B | North Captiva, Florida, United States | Anderson, Kaye F. | Fatal | 3 |
| 11 Nov 1990 | Cessna 177A | Dana Point, California, United States | Giles, Wilma | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1990 | Cessna 177-A | Gainesville, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Jul 1990 | Cessna 177RG | Arlington, Texas, United States | Mollerstrom, Anders K.e. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 1990 | Cessna 177 | Hitchcock, Washington, United States | Michael O Brien | No injuries | - |
All 1,744 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jan 1990 | Lockheed L1329 | Miami, Florida, United States | Tokoph, David | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Dec 1990 | Cessna 172G | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Weeks, Milton D. | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Jan 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Tallahassee, Florida, United States | Calley, Nicholas O. | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Dec 1990 | Piper PA-28-151 | Jupiter, Florida, United States | Zimmerman, Barry L. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1990 | Piper J-3 | Clewiston, Florida, United States | Nesbitt, James K. | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Dec 1990 | Beechcraft F33A | Lakeland, Florida, United States | Globe Aero Ltd. | No injuries | - |