Cessna 177 accident near Boerne, Texas, October 25, 1997
On October 25, 1997 at about 3:21 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N2971X, was destroyed in an accident near Boerne, Texas (Boerne Stage Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the aborted landing. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a porpoise; his lack of total experience in the Cessna 177; and the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 1997 · about 3:21 pm local time
- Place
- Boerne, Texas · Boerne Stage Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N2971X · no longer on the register · serial 17700371
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a landing on runway 17, the Cessna 177 airplane touched down, bounced, and began to porpoise. The private pilot aborted the landing by adding power and raising the flaps from 40 to 10 degrees. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, crossed a grassy area and the parallel taxiway, became airborne, and collided with a parked front end loader. The airplane then impacted the ground and was destroyed by a postcrash fire. The pilot had less than 1 hour of flight time in the Cessna 177. Review of weather data indicated that during the time period of the accident flight, winds in the area were gradually changing from a southwesterly to a northwesterly direction, resulting in an increasing right crosswind component for landing on runway 17. At the time of the accident, winds were likely from the west at 10 to 15 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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 337 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 239 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,630 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1997; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 5C1 at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,400 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.