Cessna 177A accident near Huntsville, Alabama, July 3, 1986
On July 3, 1986 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177A, registered N30365, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntsville, Alabama (Moontown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1986 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Alabama · Moontown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177A · all 177As on the register
- Registration
- N30365 · registry record · serial 17701212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD SET ON THE RAMP WITH LITTLE FUEL IN IT FOR APRX ONE WEEK. JUST BEFORE THE ACCIDENT FLT, THE PILOT TOOK FUEL SAMPLES, BUT FOUND NO WATER. HE THEN TAXIED TO THE FUEL PUMPS AND ADDED APRX 20 GAL OF FUEL IN EACH TANK. ANOTHER FUEL SAMPLE WAS NOT TAKEN. THE PLT THEN TAXIED TO THE RWY FOR TAKE OFF. AFTER TAKE OFF, THE ENG QUIT AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR WAS FULL OF WATER. THE FUEL TANK CAPS WERE CHECKED & DID NOT LEAK. THE FUEL SUPPLY WAS CHECKED & FOUND TO HAVE NO WATER CONTAMINATION. THE TANKS HAD NOT ONLY BEEN EMPTY FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, BUT THERE REPORTEDLY HAD BEEN A LARGE VARIATION IN TEMPERATURE THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT FLT. THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS LANDED IN A SOY BEAN FIELD.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,182 hours in all; 520 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,220 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 1985; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,180 ft by 160 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from HSV, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N30365 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.