- Date
- July 3, 1986, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Huntsville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N30365Cessna 177A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860703032259A
- Case key
- 7146
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft had set on the ramp with little fuel in it for aprx one week. Just before the accident flt, the pilot took fuel samples, but found no water. He then taxied to the fuel pumps and added aprx 20 gal of fuel in each tank. Another fuel sample was not taken. The plt then taxied to the rwy for take off. After take off, the eng quit at about 500 ft AGL. An exam of the acft revealed that the carburetor was full of water. The fuel tank caps were checked & did not leak. The fuel supply was checked & found to have no water contamination. The tanks had not only been empty for an extended period, but there reportedly had been a large variation in temperature the night before the accident flt. The acft was damaged when it was landed in a soy bean field.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30365
- Reported as
- Cessna 177A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701212
- Airframe hours
- 1,220
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James R. Waltress
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 1, 1985 · 43 hours before
- Airport
- 3M5 · Moontown, runway 27, 2,180 × 160 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,182 total · 520 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HSV, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N30365 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.