Cessna 177RG accident near Camden, Arkansas, January 15, 1988
On January 15, 1988 at about 7:15 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N8052G, was destroyed in an accident near Camden, Arkansas (Camden airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 1988 · about 7:15 am local time
- Place
- Camden, Arkansas · Camden · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N8052G · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0052
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE LOST ALL ENGINE POWER DURING CRUISE. HE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE THE CAMDEN, ARKANSAS AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT MAKE THE INTENDED LANDING AREA AND STRUCK A TREE AND SUBSEQUENTLY, A SWAMP AREA. THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO AIRFRAME MALFUNCTIONS. AN ENGINE EXAMINATION DISCLOSED A CRACKED OIL LINE CONNECTING THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR TO THE ENGINE CASE. THE CRACKED LINE ALLOWED THE OIL SYSTEM TO BE DEPLETED OF OIL. THE ENGINE SEIZED AFTER THE NUMBER 3 PISTON FAILED. EXAMINATION OF THE CRACKED OIL PRESSURE LINE REVEALED THAT NEITHER OF THE TWO REQUIREDSECURING CLAMPS (INTENDED TO DAMPEN VIBRATION OF THE LINE) WERE PRESENT.
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: 396 hours in all; 157 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 396 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PBF Pine Bluff AR at 4:30 pm
- Destination: DRI Deridder LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from CDH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N8052G 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.