Cessna 177RG accident near Cadiz, Kentucky, September 15, 2005
On September 15, 2005 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N35552, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cadiz, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power. A factor was the pilot's early flare during the emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2005 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cadiz, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N35552 · no longer on the register · serial 177RG1052
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a cross-country flight, while descending from 5,500 feet, the engine started to "surge". The pilot turned toward the nearest airport, and the engine stopped running. After attaining best glide airspeed, the pilot felt the airplane wouldn't make it to the airport, so he force-landed in a field. The pilot flared the airplane "a little high," and landed hard. A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed 110 ml of fuel in each tank, with no evidence of leakage. En route, the pilot had to deviate once due to weather and once due to a restricted area. The pilot also reported operating the airplane 4.5 hours since the last fuel stop.
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
- Flight time: 279 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 229 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,092 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2005; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GYI Denison TX at 4:00 pm
- Destination: HVC Hopkinsville KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; a few clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from HOP, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.