Cessna 177 accident near Wickenburg, Arizona, July 29, 2016
On July 29, 2016 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1974 Cessna 177, registered N34867, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Wickenburg, Arizona (Wickenburg Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's incorrect balked landing procedure, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent, hard landing, a runway excursion, and nose gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2016 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wickenburg, Arizona · Wickenburg Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 B, built 1974 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N34867 · no longer on the register · serial 17702055
- 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 after a hard landing the airplane began to porpoise and he decided to abort the landing. The pilot reported that during the aborted landing, he added power and as the airplane began to climb, he retracted the flaps too soon and too quickly and the airplane settled back onto the runway, landed hard again, veered off the runway to the right, collapsed the nose gear, and stopped in a nose down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The procedures for a balked landing, as provided by Cessna, state: 1. Power – Full throttle and 2700 RPM 2. Carburetor Heat – Cold 3. Wing Flaps – Retract to 20 degrees 4. Upon reaching an airspeed of approximately 75 MPH, retract flaps slowly The pilot reported as a safety recommendation to wait longer for the aircraft to further stabilize, gain speed, and begin climbing before retracting flaps.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 374 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 374 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 11, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,406 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 3,440 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E25 Wickenburg AZ at 2:30 pm
- Destination: E25 Wickenburg AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,101 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 2:58 pm from KLUF, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 16, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Airplane Balked Procedures | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.