# Accident 20010502007259A: Cessna 177B, Santa Maria, CA, May 2, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 2, 2001, 13:20 local time
- Place: Santa Maria, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Go Round (Aborted VFR)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.8194° N, 120.4107° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.8194&lon=-120.4107&mi=10
- Aircraft: N34168, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N34168-2002-02-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 177B (registry code 2073708, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-177b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 177B
- Reported engine: LYC O360A1F6
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 665 total, 217 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX01LA163](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA163) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010502007259A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23)DURING PRACTICE OF ENGINE-OUT EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, PILOT RAISED FLAPS PRIOR APPLICATION OF POWER DURING GO-AROUND, CAUSING STALL/IMPACT WITH GROUND. (.19)ON MAY 2, 2001, AT 1320 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, A CESSNA 177B, N34168, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND WHILE MANEUVERING APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES EAST OF SANTA MARIA AIRPORT, CALIFORNIA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91 BY A PRIVATE PILOT WHO RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT, WHICH DEPARTED FROM SANTA MARIA AIRPORT APPROXIMATELY 1310.  THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD BEEN TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS ABOUT 1,000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THEN DECIDED TO PRACTICE ENGINE OUT PATTERNS. DURING THE GO-AROUND FROM THE FIRST PATTERN HE ADDED POWER, "DUMPED THE FLAPS," AND WAS UNABLE TO PREVENT CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A PIPE, CARTWHEELED, AND CAME TO REST INVERTED.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       (.4) ON MAY 2, 2001, AT 1320 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, A CESSNA 177B, N34168, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND WHILE MANEUVERING APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES EAST OF SANTA MARIA AIRPORT, SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91 BY THE PRIVATE PILOT/OWNER WHO RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT, WHICH DEPARTED FROM SANTA MARIA AIRPORT APPROXIMATELY 1250. THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD BEEN TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS ABOUT 1,000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THEN DECIDED TO PRACTICE ENGINE OUT PATTERNS. DURING THE GO-AROUND FROM THE SECOND PATTERN HE ADDED POWER, RETRACTED THE FLAPS TO 20 DEGREES, AND WAS UNABLE TO PREVENT CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THAT IT "FELT LIKE THE ELEVATOR STALLED." THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A PIPE, CARTWHEELED, AND CAME TO REST INVERTED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX01LA163](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA163), May 2, 2001: Cessna 177B (N34168), Santa Maria, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: A stall/mush inadvertently encountered by the pilot-in-command. Failure to maintain adequate airspeed for flight and inadequate remedial action contributed to the accident.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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