Cessna 177 N30923

Summary

On 8 August 2016 at about 19:35 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N30923 was involved in an accident near McDonough, New York, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 August 2016 at 19:35

Classification

Accident

Location

McDonough, New York, United States

Coordinates

42.4431, -75.8039

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N30923

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sidney → Shirley

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA286

4 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper recovery from a slow flight configuration at low altitude, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal sightseeing flight with three passengers to view a local landmark. The pilot completed two flyovers uneventfully. The passengers then asked him to fly over a third time at a slower speed. The pilot fully extended the flaps in preparation for the next flyover. During the flyover, the pilot noted that the airplane was slow and had descended to an altitude near the tops of the trees. He applied full engine power and fully retracted the flaps. The airplane nosed down and impacted trees and terrain. The pilot and passengers subsequently egressed the airplane before it was consumed by a postimpact fire. Extensive thermal damage precluded a detailed examination of the airframe or engine for mechanical malfunctions; however, witness and passenger statements and initial statements provided by the pilot did not indicate any preimpact mechanical anomalies. It is likely that, while performing the flyover at the passengers' request, the pilot became distracted, allowing the airplane to descend and its airspeed to decay. Once the pilot recognized the situation, his response of adding engine power then immediately and fully retracting the flaps while attempting to gain altitude resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.