- Date
- October 29, 1982, 18:10 local (Oct 30, 1982, 01:10 UTC)
- Place
- Morgan Hill, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2947XCessna 177
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report October 29, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821029057549A
- Case key
- 71767
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 purpose of the flight was to perform a biennial flight review. During the preflight, about 1 pint of fuel was drained from the wings/sumps and about 1/2 teaspoon of water was found. After taking off, the power was reduced to about 2500 RPM and 25 inches of manifold pressure. As the climb was continued, the engine lost power at about 3500 ft MSL. The pilots were unable to restore the engine power. Their emergency procedures included the use of carburetor heat and the fuel boost pump. Subsequently, the aircraft flipped over during a forced landing in a soft field. The pilot suspected carburetor ice, but this was not confirmed. A teardown of the engine revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure before impact. The temperature and dew point were 68 and 58 degrees, respectively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2947X
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 347
- Airframe hours
- 1,540
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- David E. Bates
- Registered owner
- David E. Bates
- Departed
- RHV · San Jose, CA
- Destination
- RHV · San Jose, CA
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 256 total · 114 in this make and model · 168 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 154 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.