Event ANC07LA063

Factual narrative

On July 6, 2007, about 1604 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177RG airplane, N52650, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain following a loss of engine power during takeoff-initial climb from the Spitfire Aerodrome, Pedricktown, New Jersey. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-county flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The first pilot, a certificated airline transport pilot seated in the right seat, and the second pilot, a certificated private pilot seated in the left seat, were not injured. The second pilot was the airplane owner. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the accident airport about 1604, with a destination of Angleton/Lake Jackson, Texas. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 10, the first pilot reported that the second pilot had purchased the accident airplane about 2 hours before the accident, and the purpose of the flight was to ferry the airplane to the second pilot's home airport in Texas. He said that the second pilot had no experience in a Cessna 177RG, and since he did not possess the required high performance logbook endorsements, he was asked to fly with the second pilot during the ferry flight to Texas. The first pilot reported that just prior to departure, both of the airplane's fuel tanks were filled to capacity, which required about 14 gallons of additional fuel. He added that during the preflight inspection of the accident airplane, he obtained fuel samples from the airplane's 5 fuel sump drain ports. According to the first pilot, none of the fuel samples contained contaminates or water. The first pilot reported that the second pilot was flying the airplane during the initial phase of the takeoff. He said that just after takeoff, about 500 feet agl, all engine power was lost. The first pilot said that he then took control of the airplane in an attempt to re-establish engine power, but emergency engine procedures did not restore engine power, and he selected a forced landing area in an open field. During the emergency landing the airplane collided with rough and uneven terrain, and sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations inspector, Philadelphia Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), examined the airplane at the accident scene on the accident date. He reported that the airplane came to rest upright, and that both wing-mounted fuel tanks were intact. The FAA inspector said that he drained about 4 ounces of water from the airplane's left fuel tank and gascolator. He noted that the airplane's gascolator contained a sandy, gritty white substance. The airplane was recovered from the accident site and transported to a local salvage facility. On August 2, the FAA inspector who previously examined the accident airplane reported that the fuel injector screen contained trace amounts of rusty-colored water. After reinstallation of the airplane's fuel system components, a clean fuel source was attached to the airplane and the engine was started. The engine produced full power. The FAA inspector reported no further preaccident mechanical anomalies were found during the postaccident inspection. The FAA inspector commented that the airplane had been stored outside, and that heavy rain had been reported in the area 2 or 3 days before the accident. Neither pilot completed an NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) as requested. The first pilot, an airline transport pilot, reported that the second pilot, a private pilot, had just purchased the accident airplane, but did not yet possess the required high performance logbook endorsements needed to operate the airplane. The accident occurred as the pair were ferrying the airplane to the second pilot's home airport. According to the first pilot, both of the airplane's wing-mounted fuel tanks were filled to capacity just before departure. During his subsequent preflight inspection, the first pilot obtained fuel samples from the airplane's fuel sump drain ports, and none of the fuel samples contained any contaminates or water. The second pilot was flying the airplane, and just after takeoff, about 500 feet agl, all engine power was lost. The first pilot took control of the airplane in an attempt to re-establish engine power, but his attempts were unsuccessful, and he selected an open field as a forced landing site. During the emergency landing the airplane collided with rough and uneven terrain, and sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the accident scene on the accident date, and reported that he drained about 4 ounces of water from the airplane's left fuel tank and gascolator. He said that the airplane's gascolator contained a sandy, gritty white substance. The airplane's fuel injector screen also contained trace amounts of rusty-colored water. The engine was subsequently started and it produced full power. The FAA inspector also reported that the airplane had been stored outside before the accident, and that heavy rains had been reported in the area 2 or 3 days before the accident. No preaccident mechanical anomalies were discovered during the inspector's postaccident inspection. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12