Cessna 177RG N46321

Summary

On 30 September 2018 at about 01:00 local time, a Cessna 177RG registered N46321 was involved in an accident near La Verne, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 September 2018 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

La Verne, California, United States

Nearest airport

Brackett Field Airport (KPOC)

Coordinates

34.0933, -117.7917

Aircraft

Cessna 177RG

Registration

N46321

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Verne → La Verne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18FA279

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was an undetermined engine anomaly.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were departing the airport; a witness stated that he heard backfiring during the airplane's takeoff roll. He then observed the airplane become airborne and the landing gear start to retract. About 1 minute 30 seconds after the pilot received take off clearance, the pilot requested a return to the airport due to an engine problem. The air traffic controller cleared the pilot to land on runway 8L, and the pilot subsequently initiated a right turn. The witness then observed the airplane descend to the ground in a nose-low attitude. It is likely that, while returning to the airport after takeoff, the pilot failed to maintain the proper airspeed, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and the cause of the engine problem, as reported by the pilot, could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.