Cessna 177 accident near Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, March 14, 1990
On March 14, 1990 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N29578, was destroyed in an accident near Forty Fort, Pennsylvania (Wyoming Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHILE MANEUVERING, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1990 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Forty Fort, Pennsylvania · Wyoming Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N29578 · no longer on the register · serial 177-00970
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT & PLT RATED PASSENGER WERE DEPARTING THE ARPT, THE ENG LOST POWER AT ABOUT 300 TO 600 FT AGL. THE ACFT BEGAN TO TURN TO THE RIGHT, THEN IT ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT & CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT HAD BEEN SERVICED WITH AUTO FUEL. A CHECK OF THE FUEL ABOUT 24 HRS AFTER THE ACDNT REVEALED A REID VAPOR PRESSURE (RVP) OF 11.8. ACCORDING TO THE SUPPLIER, THE AUTO FUEL CONSISTED OF 17.5% WINTER GRADE FUEL & 82.5% SUMMER GRADE FUEL. AVIATION FUEL HAS AN RVP OF 5.5 TO 7 & IS LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO VAPOR LOCK. ACCORDING TO THE ACFT LOG, THE ACFT HAD BEEN MODIFIED IAW STC SA2010CE & SE1931CE FOR USE OF AUTO FUEL, BUT AN ID CLAMP & PLACARDS WERE NOT INSTALLED, AS REQUIRED. THE CARB FLOAT WAS MADE OF A COMPOSITE MATERIAL. THE TEMP & DEW POINT WERE 80 & 50 DEG, RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO CARB ICING CHARTS, SERIOUS CARB ICING COULD HAVE OCCURRED AT GLIDE POWER & VISIBLE ICING WAS POSSIBLE AT RATED POWER.
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: 555 hours in all; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 433 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,576 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1989; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WBW Forty Fort PA at 8:05 pm
- Destination: N27 Towanda PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,375 ft by 148 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from AVP, 6 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.