- Date
- October 29, 1989, 11:19 local (16:19 UTC)
- Place
- Mchenry, MD
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N30036Cessna 177
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891029043399A
- Case key
- 11537
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to obtain adequate takeoff airspeed as a result of an improper flap setting. Contributing factors were a takeoff with a tailwind, an upsloping runway, and high density altitude.
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
Witnesses reported the acft took off with winds that varied from a left crosswind to a left quartering tailwind. The rwy slopes upward, and the terrain slopes down past the rwy end. According to witnesses, although the acft climbed slowly, and the acft rolled left and right several times, the engine was operating the entire time. The acft abruptly pitched down, descended and crashed. Examination of the acft revealed the flaps were extended 30 degrees (full down). According to aircraft performance data the best rate of climb with 30 degrees of flaps is about 310 fpm, based on standard temperature conditions. The density altitude was computed to be about 4000 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30036
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701039
- Airframe hours
- 1,515
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rdl Inc.
- Registered owner
- Rdi, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · October 20, 1987 · 93 hours before
- Destination
- 3G2 · Washington, PA
- Airport
- 2G4 · Garrett County, runway 26, 2,495 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,942 total · 89 in this make and model · 1,433 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MGW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.