Cessna 177 RG accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 22, 2009
On June 22, 2009 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 177 RG, registered N1876Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Albuquerque, New Mexico (Double Eagle II airport). It was a personal 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's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while landing, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2009 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · Double Eagle II · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 RG · all 177 RGs on the register
- Registration
- N1876Q · registry record · serial 177RG0276
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While entering the traffic pattern, the pilot was unable to locate the runway and was assisted by tower personnel. The pilot later told a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that while on final approach he was high and that his airspeed was ten miles per hour (mph) slower than the normal approach speed of eighty mph. During the landing the airplane stalled, struck on the nosewheel, and bounced twice into the air. The pilot added power in an attempt to go around, but the airplane impacted the runway, causing the left main landing gear to collapse. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and came to rest approximately one hundred yards to the east. The pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the tail section, both main landing gear, and the left wing tip. At the time of the accident, the pilot had flown approximately ten hours that day.
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
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Physical › Alertness/Fatigue › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,209 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 1,110 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 16, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,955 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELK Elk City OK at 8:20 pm
- Destination: KAEG Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,993 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from AEG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.