Cessna 177RG accident near Lake Placid, NY
On October 1, 2023, a Cessna 177RG (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lake Placid, NY. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 1, 2023
- Place
- Lake Placid, NY
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.269°N, 73.969°W
- NTSB ID
- 20231001193166
Official records · ERA24FA001
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 1, 2023, about 1608 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N545PZ, owned and operated by Lake Placid Air Service, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Lake Placid Airport (LKP), Lake Placid, New York. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 aerial photography flight. The purpose of the flight was to photograph the airplane while airborne for a magazine article. According to witnesses, there were two airplanes that made up the flight. The lead airplane was a Beech A36, N4GA, which took off first from runway 32, with a photographer onboard and the aft right door removed. Then the accident airplane took off about 700 ft behind the Beech. The owner of the accident airplane was to fly it during the takeoff and climb-out, and after joining up in formation, the pilot-rated passenger was to take over the controls and fly the airplane during the formation photo shoot. During the taxi to the runway, the pilot of the Beech observed that the Cessna’s engine was running when he pulled up next to it. He then heard the engine stop and saw the propeller stop; about 5 seconds later he saw the engine restart and the propeller turn again. During the takeoff roll the engine sounded to a witness as if the propeller was set for climb and not takeoff; he then heard the engine surge. During the initial climb, it sounded to the witness as if it were not running at full power. The airplane was then observed to make a gentle left turn when it
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight weight and balance planning and his aggressive low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.
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Browse: New York · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
