Cessna 177 accident near Blackburn, Missouri, April 7, 2006
On April 7, 2006 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N34200, was destroyed in an accident near Blackburn, Missouri. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance from the power line during low altitude maneuvering. A factor was the power line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2006 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Blackburn, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N34200 · no longer on the register · serial 17701698
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was conducting a pipeline patrol when it hit a power line and subsequently impacted the terrain. A witness reported that she observed the airplane flying west, paralleling Highway 20 at a low altitude. It was about two power line poles in height above the ground and the airplane was flying slow. The witness reported, "All of a sudden, the left wing went down and the right wing went up." The witness described the angle of bank as a perpendicular position, a 90-degree vertical bank. The airplane turned left into a gully and the left wing impacted the top wire of a power line. The inspection of the wreckage revealed that the outboard portion of the left wing at the aileron/flap juncture had separated at a 45-degree angle. A downed power line wire was found tangled in the wreckage. The post accident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. An on-site inspection of the accident site revealed that 35 to 40 feet tall power lines provided power to several nearby residential customers. A power line crossed the highway near the site of the accident. There were no other power lines observed in the area that crossed the highway. The power line the airplane impacted paralleled the south (left) side of the highway.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,795 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2006; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LWC Lawrence KS at 5:26 pm
- Destination: 53K Osage City KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.48 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from DMO, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.