Cessna 177B accident near Shawnee, Oklahoma, July 4, 1993
On July 4, 1993 at about 2:50 am local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N18739, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shawnee, Oklahoma. 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
FUEL SYSTEM EXHAUSTION INDUCED POWER LOSS FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. A FACTOR WAS A LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1993 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Shawnee, Oklahoma
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N18739 · registry record · serial 17702553
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FUEL TANKS HAD BEEN TOPPED WITH FUEL PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THE PILOT STATED TO THE INVESTIGATOR IN CHARGE THAT DURING THE PREFLIGHT, HE DID NOT VISUALLY CHECK THE FUEL TANKS. A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED APPROXIMTELY 5 MILES SHORT OF THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. DURING THE FORCED LANDING THE AIRPLANE WENT THROUGH A FENCE AND THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A TREE. EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM INDICATED ZERO FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK AND LESS THAN 1/2 GALLON IN THE RIGHT TANK. AN ENGINE TEST RUN WAS CONDUCTED WITH NO ANOMALIES. AN EXAMINATION OF THE PUSH PULL CABLE, UTILIZED FOR DRAINING THE FUEL STRAINER, REVEALED THAT THE CABLE WAS HARD TO MOVE. DURING TWO OUT OF TWENTY TO THIRTY MOVEMENTS THE CABLE FAILED TO SEAT THE FUEL STRAINER AND FUEL SEEPED FROM THE STRAINER DRAIN. AN EXAMINATION OF THE DRAIN AREA AND AIRFRAME DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF FUEL STAINS. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED AT 1835. FLIGHT DURATION WAS ABOUT 3 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES.
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: 104 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 56 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,148 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 1992; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3GV Grain Valley MO at 11:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 160° at 18 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from OKC, 30 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.
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.