Cessna 177RG accident near Byron, California, August 22, 2017
On August 22, 2017 at about 3:00 am local time, a 1971 Cessna 177RG, registered N8053G, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Byron, California (Byron airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 2017 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Byron, California · Byron · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG NO SERIES, built 1971 · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N8053G · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0053
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was flying a 400-nautical-mile, cross-county flight. He reported that the outside air temperature along the route had been hot. He recalled that the engine temperature had been high and that he "increased the mixture to cool the engine down multiple times." As he approached his destination, the engine began "coughing for 3-4 minutes" before the engine stopped. He attempted to land at the destination airport but was unable to reach it, so he made a forced landing in a mud-filled drainage channel about .5 mile north of the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage and windscreen. A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector examined the airplane's fuel system at the accident site. He reported that both fuel tanks were found empty, with about 1/2 cup of fuel at the bottom of the left tank, after removing the sump drain. Per the National Transportation Safety Board's Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented with the "Use of [a] fuel dipstick for better measurement of fuel quantity." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine sea
- Flight time: 360 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 290 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 15, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,907.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 12, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 3,967 hours total
- Operator: Squadron 2 Acquisition Corp
The flight
- Departed from: KBNO Burns OR at 11:25 pm
- Destination: KRHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 280° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from LVK, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 30, 2018. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N8053G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.