Cessna 177 accident near Bellefontaine, Ohio, May 4, 2008
On May 4, 2008 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N29650, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Bellefontaine, Ohio (Bellefontaine Regional 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2008 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bellefontaine, Ohio · Bellefontaine Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N29650 · no longer on the register · serial 17701008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the landing the airplane bounced twice and he elected to abort the landing. He said that after adding full power and retracting the flaps he lost directional control to the left. He stated that he tried to get the airplane back into the air but could not get sufficient airspeed and the airplane settled back to the ground and struck the airport perimeter fence. The pilot reported no mechanical failure or malfunction.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 86 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EDJ Bellefontaine OH at 9:15 pm
- Destination: EDJ Bellefontaine OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: vv; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N29650 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.