Cessna 177B accident near Nappanee, Indiana, May 7, 1995
On May 7, 1995 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N11372, was destroyed in an accident near Nappanee, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
airplane control was not maintained by the pilot during the his turn to an emergency landing area. Factors associated with this accident were the pilot not complying with the manufacturer's mandatory service bulletin, and an excessive fuel flow caused by the partial failure of the carburetor's float system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 1995 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Nappanee, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N11372 · no longer on the register · serial 17702334
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE FLYING LOW WITH A ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE AND BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST PIPE. THEY SAID THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A STEEP LEFT BANK, DESCENDED TOWARD THE GROUND IN A STEEP PITCH DOWN ATTITUDE, LEVELED OFF AT TREE TOP HEIGHT AND PITCHED DOWN AGAIN. IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AND BOUNCED INTO THE AIR, COLLIDING WITH THE GROUND A SECOND TIME. THE CENTER FUSELAGE, ENGINE COMPARTMENT, AND INBOARD SECTIONS OF THE WINGS WERE CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE CARBURETOR CONTAINED COMPOSITE FLOATS WHICH WERE CHARRED AND BELLOWED OUTWARD. THE CARBURETOR MANUFACTURER PUBLISHED A MANDATORY SERVICE BULLETIN REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE COMPOSITE FLOATS WITH METAL ONES. NO RECORD OF THIS BEING DONE WAS OBSERVED IN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE'S ENGINE OR AIRFRAME LOGBOOKS.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,683 hours in all; 448 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,540 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,965 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1994; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F60 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: C08 IN at 9:40 pm
- Destination: RLA Fowler IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from SBN, 20 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.
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.