Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 177 near Rawlins, WY — 2010-07-31

Final reportWPR10LA376
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Date
2010-07-31
Location
Rawlins, WY, USA
Airport
RWL
Aircraft
CESSNA 177
Registration
N35296
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, failure to properly use the takeoff checklist, and failure to lean the fuel mixture, which resulted in the airplane’s inability to attain sufficient airspeed due to the rich fuel mixture.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, prior to initiating the takeoff roll, he did not lean the fuel mixture. The airplane initially accelerated slowly, which the pilot expected at the high density altitude airport. About 50 feet above the ground, the pilot observed the engine rpm decreased from 2,700 to 2,500 rpm; the airplane was also losing altitude. The pilot elected to reduce the power and land on the runway overrun area; during the landing, the airplane struck a rock with the left main landing gear, which resulted in substantial damage to the elevator. A postaccident examination revealed that the spark plugs were carbon fouled, indicating that the engine was operating too rich. During the first engine run-up, the engine ran rough. After the spark plugs were cleaned, the engine ran normally with no anomalies noted. The airplane’s takeoff checklist notes, MIXTURE -- LEAN for maximum power at airports above 3,000 feet in elevation. The elevation of the airport was 6,813 feet. The density altitude at the time of the accident was 8,895 feet.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot failed to lean the fuel mixture before takeoff as required.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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