Cessna 177RG accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, February 19, 2020
On February 19, 2020, a 1975 Cessna 177RG, registered N2763V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s and student pilot’s failure to ensure that the landing gear was extended before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 2020
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG No Series, built 1975 · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N2763V · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0687
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot both reported verifying that the landing gear selector handle was in the down position when the airplane was on final approach. The flight instructor observed that the gear-down indicator light was illuminated, and he saw out the right-side window that the right main landing gear was fully extended. The student pilot noted the landing touchdown was "soft"; however, the landing gear collapsed after touchdown. Postaccident examination of the landing gear system did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a malfunction of the landing gear extension system that would preclude normal operation. Damage to the nose landing gear doors and the main landing gear strut steps was consistent with the landing gear being fully retracted when the fuselage contacted the runway pavement. The main wheel tires also lacked abnormal wear or abrasion, consistent with the gear being retracted. This evidence suggests that despite recalling that the landing gear was extended, the flight instructor and student failed to ensure that the landing gear was fully extended before landing.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 57 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,322 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 4,163 as pilot in command; 2,473 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,231 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2019; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 4,231 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUS Chesterfield MO
- Destination: SUS Chesterfield MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26R, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 31, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Instructor Information | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Flight Instructor Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Accident Photos | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.