Cessna 177RG accident near Tampa, FL
On April 20, 2004, a Cessna 177RG (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tampa, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 20, 2004
- Place
- Tampa, FL
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 27.910°N, 82.442°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040426X00509
Official records · MIA04FA076
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 20, 2004, about 1134 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N1910Q, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, ditched into Tampa Bay, Tampa, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The private-rated pilot and one passenger received fatal injuries, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated in Pompano Beach, Florida, the same day, about 0930. An attendant at the fixed-based operator's facility at Peter O. Knight Airport, Tampa, Florida, stated that she heard a radio communications transmission from a pilot stating that he was 6 miles from the airport, and his airplane's engine was experiencing roughness and backfiring. She said that she acknowledged the call, told the pilot to use the runway of his choice, and instructed the other aircraft to clear the traffic pattern. She further stated that shortly after the initial call, she heard the pilot say "we're not going to make it." According to a nearby fisherman, the accident aircraft was heading in a westerly direction at an altitude of about 200 to 300 feet, about a mile to the west of where he was fishing. The witness further stated that he heard erratic changes in the sound of the airplane's engine, which was continually backfiring. He said that the airplane's engine then became silent, and at that point he noticed the airplane make a controlled turn towards the airport. A second witness working in the vicinity of the Port of Tampa Bay stated that the airplane appeared to hit the
Probable cause
Improper maintenance by other maintenance personnel, and the reinstallation of an unserviced magneto during an engine overhaul, which resulted in the magneto malfunctioning, a loss of engine power, and the airplane being ditched into the water.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
