Cessna 177RG accident near Del Rio, Texas, January 5, 2001
On January 5, 2001 at about 11:01 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N45373, was substantially damaged in an accident near Del Rio, Texas (Wardlaw White Ranch airport). 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 compensation for the winds. A factor was the windshear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 2001 · about 11:01 pm local time
- Place
- Del Rio, Texas · Wardlaw White Ranch · 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
- N45373 · registry record · serial 177RG1116
- 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 takeoff roll to the northwest, the airplane had lifted off the runway and traveled along the ground when the left wing was "hit by wind shear." The aircraft drifted to the left and the left wing impacted a tree. The airplane struck the ground, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down in a ravine. The pilot reported the wind from the northwest at 10-12 knots.
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
- Flight time: 1,692 hours in all; 1,310 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,591 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 31, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,064.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2000; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Del Rio TX at 11:01 pm
- Destination: LBX Angleton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 315, 1,850 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.