Cessna 177 accident near New Port Richey, Florida, January 27, 1998
On January 27, 1998 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N30192, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Port Richey, Florida (Hidden Lake airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which led to a forced landing and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1998 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Port Richey, Florida · Hidden Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N30192 · no longer on the register · serial 17701111
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, the airplane rotated smoothly during takeoff and began to climb. At 80 to 100 feet, he saw a decrease in engine RPM, and the airplane felt 'mushy', so he leveled off to accelerate. The airplane did not appear to accelerate, then it began to settle. The pilot stated he then made a shallow left turn to avoid a building in the path. The airplane came to rest in the tops of trees. Subsequent to the accident, the engine was examined by Textron Lycoming and the FAA. A test run of the engine was acceptable and did not reveal any pre-crash discrepancies that would have prevented the engine from producing power. The temperature and dew point were 68 and 45 degrees, respectively. According to icing probability charts, conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice. However, carburetor ice was not verified.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,375 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 8,240 as pilot in command; 4,675 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,594 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1997; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X28 at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,700 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from RRF, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.