Cessna 177 accident near Warrensburg, Missouri, October 17, 1987
On October 17, 1987 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N2969X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Warrensburg, Missouri (Skyhaven 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1987 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Warrensburg, Missouri · Skyhaven · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N2969X · no longer on the register · serial 17700369
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIC STATED SHE HAD MISJUDGED LDG, RESULTING IN AN UNCONTROLLED PORPOISE, DAMAGING NOSE WHEEL AND STABILATOR. SHE ABORTED LDG ATTEMPT AND RETURNED TO DEPARTURE AIRPORT. CONSIDERABLE DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE ACFT WAS ENCOUNTERED, BUT WITH OUTSIDE RADIO ASSISTANCE, SHE WAS ABLE TO LAND WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE.
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: 118 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 72 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,429 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cardinal Flight, LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: 4K3 Lexington MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N2969X 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.