Cessna 177RG accident near Sikeston, Missouri, August 16, 2001
On August 16, 2001 at about 2:06 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N27JS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sikeston, Missouri (Sikeston Airport). It was a personal 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 loss of engine power during the initial climb due to fuel contamination, water. A factor relating to the accident was the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2001 · about 2:06 am local time
- Place
- Sikeston, Missouri · Sikeston Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N27JS · registry record · serial 629
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said they were on initial climb from Sikeston Airport and were approximately 500 feet when the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot said he turned the airplane around toward the airport but determined he could not make it back. The pilot said he landed the airplane in a pasture. The airplane's fuel selector had the left wing tank selected. The left and right wing tanks showed fuel. Fuel drained from the left tank had water present. An examination of the airplane's engine revealed that three of the lead wires coming from the dual magneto were chaffed and burnt. There were arcing marks on three of the connector lead covers going to three of the top spark plugs. No other anomalies were found.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,340 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 9,140 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 4, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,931 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SIK Sikeston MO at 2:00 am
- Destination: HFY Greenwood IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 5,502 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from CGI, 19 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.