Cessna 177 accident near Festus, Missouri, May 31, 2019
On May 31, 2019, a 1975 Cessna 177, registered N11823, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Festus, Missouri (Festus Memorial airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper landing flare and failure to maintain pitch control with a crosswind, which resulted in a hard landing and a tail strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2019
- Place
- Festus, Missouri · Festus Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 B, built 1975 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N11823 · registry record · serial 17702370
- 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, during landing, the airplane "caught a crosswind" and became airborne again. The airplane touched back down and veered right off the runway into grass. The pilot was able to get the airplane back onto the runway and taxied to park without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The Federal Aviation Administrator inspector reported that the airplane damage was associated with a hard landing, including a tail strike. He added that further evidence of a tail strike was noted on the bottom side of the tail underneath the vertical stabilizer. An automated weather observation station located about 25 miles from the accident site reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 260° at 7 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 1.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 736 hours in all; 12.3 in this make and model; 2.5 in the last 90 days; 0.8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 19, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fenton Flyers Inc
The flight
- Destination: FES Festus MO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 01, 2,202 ft by 49 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,500 ft; a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KCPS, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
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 GAA19CA353.