N2835XCessna 177 · 1967

On September 13, 2015, about 1630 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177, N2835X, impacted the ground following a go-around maneuver at Smith Mountain Lake Airport (W91), Moneta, Virginia, and a postimpact fire ensued. The commercial pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local aerial observation flight, that departed Norfolk International Airport (ORF), Norfolk, Virginia. The airplane was owned by a private individual and operated by DAP Imaging, Inc. for the aerial photographic flight, which was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to several witnesses, some of which were pilots; the airplane entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 23 and was observed, above the expected approach path, while on the final leg of the approach. One eyewitness, who observed the accident, reported the engine was "missing and backfiring" prior to impact, and it was lower than he had "normally" observed. Two witnesses stated that the airplane was high and fast on the approach. One of these witnesses also stated that the airplane had a high groundspeed on the runway. The airplane impacted two trees and then a street. The passenger exited the airplane followed by the pilot, a few seconds later. However, after the passenger exited, the airplane was engulfed in flames.

According to the passenger, the pilot elected to land at W91 because they were "low on fuel." During the entire flight she did not observe the pilot lean the fuel mixture. During the landing, the wind "pushed" them too far down the runway and about 80 percent of the way down the runway, the pilot attempted to takeoff. During climbout the engine "was not making a normal sound," the stall horn sounded, and then the airplane impacted trees. After the airplane came to rest fuel was "pouring onto them" and the pilot told her to "get out." After she exited the airplane, it was engulfed in fire and the pilot was still inside.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, helicopter, and instrument airplane and helicopter. He held a first-class medical certificate, which was issued on August 1, 2014, and had one restriction of "must have corrective lenses." According to IACRA (Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application) paperwork found in the wreckage, that listed the pilot's name, revealed 246.7 total hours of flight experience in airplanes and 428.20 total hours of flight experience in helicopters; however, due to thermal damage to the paperwork, a date or total flight experience could not be ascertained. The pilot's flight logbook was located within the wreckage. The logbook was thermally damaged; however, an entry indicated that the pilot had conducted a flight review on March 30, 2015. According to the operator, the pilot's flight experience was reviewed in August 2015. Although no records were made of the experience the pilot had approximately 779 flight hours, of which, approximately 20 of those hours were in the accident airplane make and model.

The high-wing, single-engine airplane, a Cessna 177 (serial number 17700235), was manufactured and issued a standard airworthiness certificate on November 16, 1967. The airplane was powered by a Lycoming O-360-E2D, 150-hp engine and driven by a 2-blade, McCauley propeller. A review of the maintenance records indicated that an annual inspection had been completed on September 1, 2015, at an airframe total time of 3777.0 hours. At the time of the inspection, the engine had accumulated 133.0 hours since major overhaul. The inspection was the most recent entry in the airplane maintenance records.

According to the FAA's Type Certificate Data Sheet, the fuel system comprised of 2 fuel tanks, one located in each wing, each holding 24.5 gallons of usable fuel and 0.5 gallons of unusable fuel. According to schematics of the fuel system, the fuel tank pickup was located near the rear inboard portion of the fuel tank. The fuel line was connected to a fuel selector valve, located in the cockpit. The fuel selector valve was a 4-poistion valve, which comprised of "BOTH," "Left," "Right," and "OFF."

According to a representative of the airframe manufacturer, the flaps have 5 positions available to be selected. The selected position are labeled "UP," "1/4," "1/2," "3/4," and "DOWN" which correlated to 0°, 10°, 15°, 20°, and 30° respectively.

The nearest recorded weather observation, located at an airport 22 miles to the northwest of the accident location, indicated, around the time of the accident, that the wind was from the northwest between 9 to 12 knots and the temperature was about 19 degrees C.

The airport was a privately-owned airport and at the time of the accident did not have an operating air traffic control tower. The airport was equipped with one runway designated as runway 5/23. The asphalt runway was reported as "in good condition" at the time of the accident. Runway5/23 was a 3,058 -foot-long by 50-foot-wide runway. The airport had an elevation of 892.2 feet above mean sea level.

According to an FAA inspector, the airplane came to rest on a street in a residential neighborhood, located near the departure end of runway 23. The airplane was thermally damaged aft of the firewall, including the cabin section and part of the empennage. The fuel tanks were breeched and evidence of thermal damage was noted.

Postrecovery examination of the airplane and engine revealed thermal damage to the cockpit and airframe structure. The flap trim actuator was measured and indicated less than 10 degree flap setting. The fuel selector valve was thermally damaged; however, compressed air was applied and indicated that the valve was selected to "BOTH" at the time of impact.

The engine remained attached to the thermally damaged firewall. Examination of the engine revealed the rear accessory pad components were thermally and impact damaged. Continuity was confirmed from the propeller to the rear accessory pad and thumb compression was confirmed on all cylinders.

The 2-blade propeller remained attached to the engine and exhibited chordwise scratches, S-bending, and leading edge gouges. One propeller blade was segmented with one segment remained attached to propeller hub and the other segment, which was the blade tip, was located in the storage bags. The approximate mid-portion of the blade was unable to be located. No abnormalities or malfunctions were noted that would have precluded normal operation. For a detailed report of the examination reference the "Airframe and Engine Examination Report" located in the docket associated with this accident.

Fuel Records

According to fuel records, the airplane was last fueled at Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU), Durham, North Carolina, on September 12, 2015. The manager of the fixed base operator, further reported that it was "topped off" at that time. The airplane departed RDU on September 13, 2015, about 1230, flew to, and landed at, two other airports prior to the accident flight, and no records were located indicating that the airplane was refueled at any time following the refueling at RDU. The total duration of flight time since refueling was approximately 4 hours.

Cessna 177 Pilot's Operating Handbook

According to Section V "Operational Data" figure 5-4 "Cruise & Range Performance" at 2,500 feet the airplane would consume between 5.7 and 9.9 gallons of fuel per hour, which would provide an endurance of at least 4 1/2 hours. Those figures were based on a maximum gross weight of 2,350 pounds, standard conditions, zero wind, lean mixture, and 48 gallons of fuel with no reserve. The section further stated that "Cruise and range performance showing…allowances for fuel reserve, headwinds, take-offs, and climb, and variations in mixture leaning technique should be made and are in addition to those shown on the chart. Other indeterminate variables such as carburetor metering-characteristics, engine and propeller conditions, and turbulence of the atmosphere may account for variations of 10% or more in maximum range."

According to Section II "Description and Operating Details," stated "To achieve the lean mixture fuel consumption figures shown in Section V, the mixture should be leaned as follows: pull mixture control out until engine speed peaks and begins to fall off, then enrichen slightly back to peak RPM." The section further goes on to describe the stall characteristics of the airplane and stated "the stall characteristics are conventional and aural warning is proved by a stall warning horn which sounds between 5 and 10 MPH above the stall in all configurations."

Section I "Operating Checklist" provides a checklist for a balked landing, which stated "Balked Landing (Go-Around):

(1) Power – Full throttle.

(2) Carburetor Heat – Cold

(3) Wing Flaps – Retract to '1/2'

(4) Upon reaching an airspeed of approximately 75 MPH, retract flaps slowly."

FAA Airplane Flying Handbook

Section 8 "Approaches and Landings "stated in part, "Since the airplane has been trimmed for the approach (a low power and low airspeed condition), application of maximum allowable power will require considerable control pressure to maintain a climb pitch attitude. The addition of power will tend to raise the airplane's nose suddenly and veer to the left. Forward elevator pressure must be anticipated and applied to hold the nose in a safe climb attitude…"