Cessna 177B accident near Carthage, Texas, August 7, 2012
On August 7, 2012 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N17201, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Carthage, Texas (Panola County Arpt-Sharpe Fld airport). It was an aerial observation 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 loss of engine power during a low-level aerial observation flight as the result of the wearing of the rocker arm tip due to a thin carburized case layer, which resulted in a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2012 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Carthage, Texas · Panola County Arpt-Sharpe Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N17201 · no longer on the register · serial 17702517
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The engine lost partial power without warning during a pipeline patrol flight at 500 feet above ground level. The airplane impacted logs during a forced landing on a logging site. A postaccident examination revealed that the No. 1 cylinder intake valve was not present under its rocker arm tip and that its retainers were worn, deformed, and segmented in the bottom of its rocker box. The tip of the rocker arm was worn consistent with the rocker arm contacting the upper valve stem and its retainer. Inboard of the tip, the rocker arm exhibited a wear mark consistent with contact with the valve spring retainer. Further, the piston exhibited impact marks consistent with valve contact, and the No. 1 intake port exhibited a hole consistent with a liberated valve stem impacting the side of the intake port. It is likely that, when sufficient rocker arm wear occurred, the intake valve was released. The liberated valve was found in pieces in the Nos. 3 and 4 intake tubes. The No. 1 intake valve examination revealed no indications of fatigue in any of the fractures, and the valve face did not exhibit erosion or wear. The intake valve and its guide exhibited no evidence indicating that the valve was stuck. The Nos. 2 through 4 intake valve rocker arms were sectioned, and they met the minimum overhaul hardness specifications, but the depth of the carburized case layer was somewhat shallow consistent with its having been resurfaced during overhaul, which the engine had undergone 878.5 hours before the accident. The wear damage to the failed rocker arm tip precluded the determination of the depth of its carburized layer. However, it is likely that the rocker arm tip's wear occurred because of the thin carburized case layer.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,132 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 1,952 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 22, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,212.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 23, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SHV Shreveport TX at 1:30 pm
- Destination: SHV Shreveport TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from ASL, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.