Cessna 177RG accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 6, 1999
On June 6, 1999 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N2637V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate flight planning, and lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing. Factor's were the pilot's inadequate aircraft preflight, and the subsequent engine power loss due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1999 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Cheyenne, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N2637V · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0637
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot topped-off the airplane's fuel tanks on Friday, June 4, 1999. He said that on Saturday, June 5, he flew the airplane for a 'short hop' (an undetermined time). The pilot said that, on the day of the accident, he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, but did not remove the fuel caps and look into the fuel tanks. He last calculated the fuel remaining over Fort Morgan, Colorado, and determined that he had been airborne for 4.4 hours, and had 1 hour of flight to reach Cheyenne. The pilot radioed the Cheyenne Airport tower that he was on 'short final to runway 26, was low on fuel, and was not going to make it.' The engine lost power approximately 1.5 nm from the approach end of runway 26. The pilot performed a forced landing on a motor cross track. Postaccident examination of the airplane found the fuel tanks were empty. Due to lack of information of the first flight, accurate flight endurance could not be determined.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 587 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 480 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,577 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4T6 Waxahachie TX at 11:45 am
- Destination: CYS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 23 knots, gusting 43
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:21 pm from CYS, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N2637V 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.