Cessna 177RG accident near Tucson, Arizona, September 26, 1989
On September 26, 1989 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N52665, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (Tucson Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE AIRCRAFT'S POWERPLANT CONTROLS. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S LIMITED EXPERIENCE IN A CESSNA 177RG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1989 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Tucson Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N52665 · no longer on the register · serial 1238
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING A NIGHT VISUAL APPROACH, ABOUT 4-5 MI FROM THE AIRPORT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A TELEPHONE POLE. NO PRE-IMPACT RELATED MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND IN THE ENGINE, AND THE ENGINE RAN SUCCESSFULLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT LATER STATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD CONTINUED TO OPERATE THROUGHOUT THE APPROACH AND LANDING. THE PILOT HAD 5 HRS IN MAKE/MODEL.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 770 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 86 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 655 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 12, 1989; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO360A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 2:37 am
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from TUS, 3 miles away
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.