19990807010949A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 177 · Wagoner, OK · August 7, 1999

Date
August 7, 1999 · 12:55 local
Place
Wagoner, OK
Airport
Wagoner Airstrip Airport
Phase of flight
Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N29571
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW99FA211
Reported as
Cessna 177
Reported engine
Lycoming O320E2D
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Pilot’s flight hours
900 total30 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Acft took off and turned to the east then crashed and burned, the 2 POB suffered fatal injuries, the acft was destroyed, other circumstances are unknown. (.19) on August 7, 1999, at 1255 central daylight time, a Cessna 177 airplane, N29571, was destroyed upon impact with terrain following a loss of control while on takeoff from the Wagoner municipal airport, near Wagoner, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the title 14 CFR part 91 local flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the same location approximately 50 minutes prior to the accident. According to personnel at the Wagoner airport, the airplane was topped off with 29.9 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel prior to departing for a local area flight. A witness reported observing the airplane entering the left traffic pattern on a left downwind. The airplane was later observed turning base and final for runway 17. The witness, who was in a hangar near midfield, reported hearing the sound of the engine being reduced to idle "as he normally heard during a normal landing." Moments later the witness reported hearing the sound of takeoff power being applied; however, the witness did not turn around to look at the airplane. The witness further stated that after a few seconds of normal takeoff power, he heard the engine backfire a couple of times, and the engine noise ceased. The witness reported hearing the sound of crushing metal and headed toward the east side of the airport. A few seconds later he observed fire and smoke coming from a wooded area adjacent to the east side of the airport. A eyewitness on the road running perpendicular to the departure end of the runway observed the airplane in level flight traveling from north to south at approximately 50 feet above the runway. He told law enforcement officers at the site that he observed the airplane make a "hard left turn and crash." The wreckage of the airplane was located in a shallow ravine approximately 125 yards east of the edge of the runway. The initial point of ground impact was nearly abeam the numbers for runway 35. The airplane, with the flaps in the retracted position, came to rest on a measured magnetic heading of 180 degrees. A post-impact fire destroyed the airplane. At 1253 the accorded weather at the davis airport, near muskogee, Oklahoma, located 13 nautical miles to the south of the accident site, reported clear skies with a visibility of 9 miles, winds from 210 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 21 knots, a temperature of 37 degrees celsius (99 f), a dew point of 21 degrees celsius (66 f); and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches hg. The NTSB investigator-in-charge calculated the density altitude at 3,335 feet. (.4)the 900-hour commercial pilot lost control of the airplane after performing an abrupt maneuver near the departure end of the runway during a go-around. A witness, driving on the road running perpendicular to the departure end of the runway, observed the airplane in a nose high attitude entering a hard left turn. He subsequently observed the airplane collide with the trees and terrain abeam the east side of the runway. No anomalies were found with the engine or airframe that would have prevented normal flight operations. (-23)at approximately 1255 CDT, the airplane, N29571, was observed entering a left downwind leg for runway 17 at Wagoner, Oklahoma, municipal airport. The witness observed the aircraft fly the traffic pattern and turn final for the runway. This witness was in a hanger hear mid field on the airport and did not see N29571 actually land. He stated that he heard the engine power being reduced to idle power, and that moments later he heard the sound of takeoff power being applied, but he did not turn around to watch the aircraft. A few seconds later, the witness heard the engine backfire twice and engine sound stopped. He next heard the sounds of the crash and then saw fire and smole coming from a wooded area. An eyewitness, who was on the road running perpnddicular to the departure end of the runway, told law enforcement officers that he observed the airplane in level flight, or a slight climb, traveling from north to south approximately 50 feet above the ground. He told the officers at the scene that he observed the airplane make a "hard" left turn and go down. The witness also stated to this FAA inspector tha the airplane "wobbled" or "teetered" as it turned before it struck the ground, left wing first, and cartwheeled.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT TOOK OFF AND TURNED TO THE EAST THEN CRASHED AND BURNED, THE 2 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.19) ON AUGUST 7, 1999, AT 1255 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 177 AIRPLANE, N29571, WAS DESTROYED UPON IMPACT WITH TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE ON TAKEOFF FROM THE WAGONER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, NEAR WAGONER, OKLAHOMA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 LOCAL FLIGHT FOR WHICH A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE SAME LOCATION APPROXIMATELY 50 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO PERSONNEL AT THE WAGONER AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE WAS TOPPED OFF WITH 29.9 GALLONS OF 100LL AVIATION FUEL PRIOR TO DEPARTING FOR A LOCAL AREA FLIGHT. A WITNESS REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRPLANE ENTERING THE LEFT TRAFFIC PATTERN ON A LEFT DOWNWIND. THE AIRPLANE WAS LATER OBSERVED TURNING BASE AND FINAL FOR RUNWAY 17. THE WITNESS, WHO WAS IN A HANGAR NEAR MIDFIELD, REPORTED HEARING THE SOUND OF THE ENGINE BEING REDUCED TO IDLE "AS HE NORMALLY HEARD DURING A NORMAL LANDING." MOMENTS LATER THE WITNESS REPORTED HEARING THE SOUND OF TAKEOFF POWER BEING APPLIED; HOWEVER, THE WITNESS DID NOT TURN AROUND TO LOOK AT THE AIRPLANE. THE WITNESS FURTHER STATED THAT AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF NORMAL TAKEOFF POWER, HE HEARD THE ENGINE BACKFIRE A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND THE ENGINE NOISE CEASED. THE WITNESS REPORTED HEARING THE SOUND OF CRUSHING METAL AND HEADED TOWARD THE EAST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT. A FEW SECONDS LATER HE OBSERVED FIRE AND SMOKE COMING FROM A WOODED AREA ADJACENT TO THE EAST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT. A EYEWITNESS ON THE ROAD RUNNING PERPENDICULAR TO THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE IN LEVEL FLIGHT TRAVELING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. HE TOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AT THE SITE THAT HE OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE MAKE A "HARD LEFT TURN AND CRASH." THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED IN A SHALLOW RAVINE APPROXIMATELY 125 YARDS EAST OF THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY. THE INITIAL POINT OF GROUND IMPACT WAS NEARLY ABEAM THE NUMBERS FOR RUNWAY 35. THE AIRPLANE, WITH THE FLAPS IN THE RETRACTED POSITION, CAME TO REST ON A MEASURED MAGNETIC HEADING OF 180 DEGREES. A POST-IMPACT FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE. AT 1253 THE ACCORDED WEATHER AT THE DAVIS AIRPORT, NEAR MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA, LOCATED 13 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE SOUTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, REPORTED CLEAR SKIES WITH A VISIBILITY OF 9 MILES, WINDS FROM 210 DEGREES AT 14 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 21 KNOTS, A TEMPERATURE OF 37 DEGREES CELSIUS (99 F), A DEW POINT OF 21 DEGREES CELSIUS (66 F); AND AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 29.95 INCHES HG. THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE CALCULATED THE DENSITY ALTITUDE AT 3,335 FEET. (.4)THE 900-HOUR COMMERCIAL PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER PERFORMING AN ABRUPT MANEUVER NEAR THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY DURING A GO-AROUND. A WITNESS, DRIVING ON THE ROAD RUNNING PERPENDICULAR TO THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE ENTERING A HARD LEFT TURN. HE SUBSEQUENTLY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE COLLIDE WITH THE TREES AND TERRAIN ABEAM THE EAST SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND WITH THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME THAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED NORMAL FLIGHT OPERATIONS. (-23)AT APPROXIMATELY 1255 CDT, THE AIRPLANE, N29571, WAS OBSERVED ENTERING A LEFT DOWNWIND LEG FOR RUNWAY 17 AT WAGONER, OKLAHOMA, MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLY THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND TURN FINAL FOR THE RUNWAY. THIS WITNESS WAS IN A HANGER HEAR MID FIELD ON THE AIRPORT AND DID NOT SEE N29571 ACTUALLY LAND. HE STATED THAT HE HEARD THE ENGINE POWER BEING REDUCED TO IDLE POWER, AND THAT MOMENTS LATER HE HEARD THE SOUND OF TAKEOFF POWER BEING APPLIED, BUT HE DID NOT TURN AROUND TO WATCH THE AIRCRAFT. A FEW SECONDS LATER, THE WITNESS HEARD THE ENGINE BACKFIRE TWICE AND ENGINE SOUND STOPPED. HE NEXT HEARD THE SOUNDS OF THE CRASH AND THEN SAW FIRE AND SMOLE COMING FROM A WOODED AREA. AN EYEWITNESS, WHO WAS ON THE ROAD RUNNING PERPNDDICULAR TO THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, TOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THAT HE OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE IN LEVEL FLIGHT, OR A SLIGHT CLIMB, TRAVELING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. HE TOLD THE OFFICERS AT THE SCENE THAT HE OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE MAKE A "HARD" LEFT TURN AND GO DOWN. THE WITNESS ALSO STATED TO THIS FAA INSPECTOR THA THE AIRPLANE "WOBBLED" OR "TEETERED" AS IT TURNED BEFORE IT STRUCK THE GROUND, LEFT WING FIRST, AND CARTWHEELED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.