Aviation Crash Map

Cessna 177 N3416T

24 September 2015 · Thermal, California, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 24 September 2015 at about 22:15 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N3416T was involved in an accident near Thermal, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. 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 22:15
Classification
Accident
Location
Thermal, California, United States
Nearest airport
Jacqueline Cochran Rgnl (TRM)
Coordinates
33.6267, -116.1597
Aircraft
Cessna 177
Registration
N3416T
Category
Airplane
Year built
1967
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Thermal → Boulder
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
WPR15LA267

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
2 0 0 0 2

Probable cause

A fire in the engine compartment due to the pilot overpriming the hot engine.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, after flying several legs of a cross-country flight, he landed the airplane to purchase fuel. After shutting down the engine and then topping off the wing tanks with fuel, the pilot attempted to start the engine; however, it would not turn over. He pumped the primer and then continued to crank the starter. He then observed a fire in the muffler area and continued to crank the starter in an attempt to suck the fire through the muffler. The engine never started, and the propeller did not turn. A postaccident examination revealed no catastrophic failures with the engine. However, white discoloration and excessive heat damage to the lower right firewall were found, indicating that the fire likely originated in this area. The fire was likely due to the pilot overpriming the induction system, which would have filled the carburetor air box with fuel and resulted in a fire starting in the lower firewall area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Cessna 177 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
13 Sep 2015 Cessna 177
N2835X
Moneta, Virginia, United States DAP Imaging, Inc. Serious injuries -
7 Apr 2015 Cessna 177B
N30981
Jennings, Louisiana, United States - No injuries -
4 May 2015 Cessna 177B
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14 Nov 2015 Cessna 177
N2112Q
Palm Springs, California, United States - No injuries -
28 Dec 2015 Cessna 177
N29533
Grass Valley, California, United States - No injuries -
8 Oct 2015 Cessna 177RG
N1542H
Red Oak, Iowa, United States - No injuries -

All 1,744 records for this type

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Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
26 Dec 2015 Boeing 737 76N
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1 Feb 2015 Robinson R44 II
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14 Apr 2015 Robert C Hanson PITTS S2E
N75BH
Lebec, California, United States - Fatal 1
17 Apr 2015 Piper PA 18-150
N162SC
La Quinta, California, United States - Minor injuries -
18 Apr 2015 Cessna 206H
N3535M
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All 170,864 records in United States