Cessna 177B accident near Roxboro, North Carolina, May 4, 2015
On May 4, 2015 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 177B, registered N1102C, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Roxboro, North Carolina (Person County airport). It was a business 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to monitor the airplane's movement and maintain control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2015 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Roxboro, North Carolina · Person County · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B B, built 1977 · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1102C · registry record · serial 17702674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After engine start up, the pilot reported that he and his passenger were focused on untangling their headsets. He stated they both were "heads down" for about 8 seconds and failed to notice the airplane moving forward. After rolling forward about 25 feet, the airplane struck an unoccupied airplane which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Aircraft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,250 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 7,734 as pilot in command; 2,811 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 25, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,424 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 8, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNX Smithfield NC at 3:15 pm
- Destination: TDF Roxboro NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from KTDF
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA15CA066.