Cessna 177 accident near Lantana, Florida, March 6, 1999
On March 6, 1999 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N2890X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lantana, Florida (Palm Beach County Park airport). It was an instructional 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 pilot misjudged the flare, resulting in a hard landing, and subsequent impact with the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1999 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lantana, Florida · Palm Beach County Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N2890X · no longer on the register · serial 17700290
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing landings on runway 15, and was on his fourth takeoff. He said, '...on the downwind I went to push the control forward and it would not go.' He attempt an approach to runway 15, but on final he was too high and decided to go around and try another approach. The pilot said, '...I was on final I was at 400 [feet] agl, and cut the power back to idle and hit the runway about 100 mph. The plane went end to end several times and hit the runway several times...I ended up on the east side of the grass.' The pilot taxied the airplane to the parking area and noted that the airplane was damaged. Examination of the wreckage revealed a stop drilled crack in the tail cone fairing assembly adjacent to the elevator that appeared to interfere with the travel of the flight control surface. Further examination revealed that the tail cone had sustained impact damage in the area of the stop drill crack. According to the FAA inspector the impact damage caused the interference with the travel of the flight control, and that the crush occurred after the pilot had made a hard landing, causing the damage.
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: student
- Flight time: 62 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 3,421 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from FLL, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N2890X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.