Cessna 177RG incident near Savannah, Georgia, March 14, 1989
On March 14, 1989 at about 5:38 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N52800, suffered minor damage in an incident near Savannah, Georgia (Savannah Int'L airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE-INDUCED FRACTURE OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR ACTUATOR ROD END.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1989 · about 5:38 pm local time
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · Savannah Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N52800 · registry record · serial 177RG1273
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE LANDED GEAR-UP AFTER THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE GEAR USING THE NORMAL OR EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEMS. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE MISHAP REVEALED THAT THE MLG ACTUATOR ROD END HAD FRACTURED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE SURFACE REVEALED PROGRESSIVE FATIGUE CRACKING THROUGH THE THREADED SHANK. IN 1979, CESSNA HAD ISSUED A SERVICE LETTER RECOMMENDING THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS P/N ROD END WITH A NEW, HIGH-STRENGTH ROD END. COMPLIANCE WITH THE SERVICE LETTER WAS NOT MANDATORY. EXAMINATION OF SDR'S FROM 1983 TO 1989 REVEALED NO HISTORY OF SIMILAR FAILURES INVOLVING THE OLD P/N ROD END.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 6,650 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 6,300 as pilot in command; 3,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,470 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 5, 1988; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Ft Lauderdale FL at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 3,000 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SAV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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.