Cessna 177A accident near Leesville, Louisiana, March 11, 1990
On March 11, 1990 at about 7:25 am local time, a Cessna 177A, registered N30327, was destroyed in an accident near Leesville, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE ROUGH TREE COVERED TERRAIN IN WHICH THE FORCED LANDING WAS PERFORMED AND THE BRIGHT NIGHT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 1990 · about 7:25 am local time
- Place
- Leesville, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177A · all 177As on the register
- Registration
- N30327 · no longer on the register · serial 17701195
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS ON A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, AND HAD JUST LEVELED OFF AFTER A DESCENT, WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED PRODUCING POWER. THE PILOT SAID HE WAS ABLE TO START IT TWICE FOR SHORT PERIODS, BUT COULD NOT KEEP IT RUNNING. HE SAID HE HAD PULLED THE CARBURETOR HEAT ON BEFORE STARTING THE DESCENT. DURING THE FORCED LANDING, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES, AND THEN THE TERRAIN. THE ENGINE AND FUEL SYSTEMS WERE INSPECTED BUT THE REASON FOR THE POWER LOSS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. A REVIEW OF THE ICING PROBABILITY CHART INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS IN AN AREA WHERE SERIOUS ICING COULD HAVE OCCURRED AT GLIDE POWER. LATER, THE ENGINE WAS RUN AT LESS THAN FULL POWER, AND IT OPERATED NORMALLY.
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
- Flight time: 140 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 75 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,045 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 27, 1989; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SHV Shreveport LA at 6:25 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 225° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.