History of Flight
On April 7, 2021, at about 1408 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177B airplane, N24RG, was destroyed in an accident near Great Valley, New York. The pilot was seriously injured, and the pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured. The flight was operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91.
Before the accident, the pilot and passenger had flown to the airport for lunch with another pilot, who departed runway 24 without incident. A witness near the runway saw the first airplane depart, then heard the accident airplane's engine rev up. He observed the airplane in a 90° bank and drove to the airport, where he found the airplane crashed and engulfed in flames.
Another witness, who lived adjacent to the runway, saw the accident airplane take off. She reported that the airplane bounced several times before becoming airborne, climbed to about 20 ft, then entered a hard left bank. She saw the left wing impact the ground, crumble, and the airplane collapse. She noted the airplane was low and late taking off, but saw or heard nothing unusual with the airplane or engine beforehand.
A responding law enforcement officer spoke to the pilot, who had burns to his face/hands and a left ankle injury. When asked what happened, the pilot said, "I lost it on the takeoff." In a follow-up interview months later, the pilot said he had no recollection of the accident from departure until after it occurred.
Pilot Information
The pilot's last FAA third class medical certificate was issued July 24, 2015, but he was operating under BasicMed as of July 6, 2019. His personal flight logbook showed a total of 1,142.8 hours of flight experience as of March 1, 2021, with 3 hours in the preceding 30 days.
The pilot-rated passenger held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument ratings, and a flight instructor certificate with a single-engine rating. His last FAA third class medical certificate was issued May 7, 2008, at which time he reported 2,438 total flight hours.
Airport Information
The airport had a turf runway approximately 3,800 ft long by 90 ft wide, oriented 06/24, with a field elevation of 1,450 ft msl. The takeoff portion was dry and free of obstructions.
Wreckage Information
The airplane departed runway 24 and impacted the ground in a left-wing-low, nose-down attitude before cartwheeling. It came to rest about 2,250 ft down and 50 ft left of the runway. The left and right wings were upright; the engine, fuselage, and tail were inverted. A post-impact fire consumed the fuselage, inboard left wing, left flap, and outboard half of the left stabilator.
Examination of all major components revealed no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
Toxicology testing of the pilot was positive for ondansetron and irbesartan. Ondansetron (Zofran) is used to treat nausea; studies show no significant effect on cognitive and psychomotor performance. Irbesartan (Avapro) is used for hypertension and is not considered impairing.