Cessna 177RG accident near Kenansville, North Carolina, November 11, 1985
On November 11, 1985 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N2012Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenansville, North Carolina (Pb Raiford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1985 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kenansville, North Carolina · Pb Raiford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N2012Q · registry record · serial 177RG 0412
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED TWO PILES OF DIRT DURING A GEAR-UP LANDING. THE PLT TOOK OFF WITH INTENSIONS OF PRACTICING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. ON THE SECOND APCH, THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO FULLY EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR. THE PLT HAD ONE PASSENGER CHECK THE HYDRAULIC FLUID RESERVOIR AND NO HYDRAULIC FLUID WAS PRESENT. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO FULLY EXTEND THE GEAR MANUALLY AS THE RESERVE HYDRAULIC FLUID WAS EXHAUSTED BEFORE THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE LINE WAS RUPTURED 18 INCHES BELOW THE HYDRAULIC PUMP ASS'Y. THE RUPTURE RESULTED FROM THE LINE RUBBING THE STABILATOR CONTROL CABLE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,535 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 3,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,927 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 24, 1985; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from EWN, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL86FMG04.