ERA26FA241

On June 17, 2026, about 1215 central daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N7637V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Morrison, Tennessee. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot’s wife, the purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane from Basham Field (66TN), Morrison, Tennessee, to the nearby Warren County Memorial Airport (RNC), McMinnville, Tennessee. She recorded the takeoff from 66TN, which showed the airplane departing towards the east and drifting toward the left side of the runway where the airplane’s left-wing tip contacted a small tree. The airport windsock was visible in the video and showed a slight crosswind, followed by a gust from the south to the north, which completely straightened the windsock. A second video recorded by a witness at the end of the departure runway also showed the airplane’s left-wing tip contacting the tree during the takeoff roll. Shortly thereafter, the airplane struck what was later determined to be an irrigation pipe and a piece of the airplane departed from its left side. The airplane became airborne and visible damage to the left stabilator was observed. The airplane crossed the end of the runway where the bottom of the left wing contacted another tree, and the airplane continued to fly until the end of the recording. Figure 1 depicts a diagram of the runway with contact locations and recovered debris. The left wing tip navigational lens was recovered just after the initial tree strike. Multiple blue paint chips were found in the grass on the runway near the irrigation pipe. Figure 1: Runway diagram with contact locations and recovered debris. The yellow line indicates the position of the airplane’s nose wheel based on ground marks. Photograph A depicts the tree damage from the left-wing tip. Photo B depicts the location of a recovered navigational lens. Photograph C depicts the bent irrigation pipe. Photograph D depicts paint chips and their approximate location. The green line is where the landing gear ground markings ended. One witness along the flight path, about 1 mile north of the 66TN, observed the airplane pitch up and down three times. Two witnesses near the accident site heard sounds consistent with engine operation while the airplane was in a nose down, near vertical descent before they lost sight of it behind a tree line. The airplane impacted a dry corn field on an approximate North heading. The impact crater was about 2 ft in depth and 3 ft in circumference. The airplane came to rest on a 110° heading. The wreckage was contained to the immediate vicinity of the impact crater with the left stabilator, located 80 ft and 355° from the impact crater, at the furthest point along the debris path. The corn surrounding the left stabilator was undamaged. The inboard leading edge slot structure was impact separated and remainedattached to the stabilator by the rubber leading edge abrasion boot. The cabin floor structure was bent into a “Z” shape with fractures of the seat rails. The empennage was twisted to the left. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent to the left about 90°. The right side of the stabilator remained attached to the tail cone. The left wing, right wing, and center wing spar carry-through were impact separated from the fuselage and were located inverted under the main wreckage. The outboard half of the left wing was bent downward and folded against the inboard half of the wing. The right wing exhibited accordion crush damage of the leading edge and forward spar into the aft spar. About 1/3 of the outer portion of the left stabilator tip separated from the airplane during the takeoff, consistent with contact with the irrigation pipe. The right stabilator was displaced forward. Witness marks were observed on the tail cone consistent with contact with the right stabilator and control inputs. The inboard, unpainted surface of the right stabilator had blue paint transfer from the empennage. The inboard section of the left stabilator was clean, with the exception of the inboard rib and spar that had compacted organic matter pressed into it. Leading edge damage was contained to stabilator station 33.25 and outboard. The inboard leading edge slot was separated but remained attached to the left stabilator by the rubber leading edge abrasion boot. The slot was clean and absent of organic material. Rudder control cable continuity was established from the control surface to the cockpit pedestal area through recovery cuts and cable separations consistent with tensile overload. Stabilator control cable continuity was established from the control surface to the torque tube under the instrument panel through recovery cuts and cable separations consistent with tensile overload. Stabilator trim control cable continuity was established from the trim tab to the cockpit pedestal area through recovery cuts and cable separations consistent with tensile overload in the rear tailcone, middle cabin, and cockpit pedestal area. Aileron control cable continuity was partially established from behind the instrument panel to the forward door posts through cable separations consistent with tensile overload. Aileron control cable continuity was partially established from the outboard wing bellcranks to the wing roots through recovery cuts and cable separations consistent with tensile overload. Measurement of the flap motor actuator corresponded to an approximate 10° flap extension. The stabilator trim tab actuator extension was consistent with a tab trailing edge down (nose up) angle beyond the 5° limit. The engine crankcase and cylinders sustained impact damage and could not be rotated. The No. 2 cylinder was displaced aft, cylinder Nos. 1 and 3 were cracked around the rocker bosses. The top forward section of the engine crankcase was cracked. The left side of the accessoryhousing was broken. One thru stud at the front of the engine was loose and had partially pulled from the crankcase. The pushrod tube shrouds were displaced downward into the cylinders. The cylinders were examined with a lighted borescope with no anomalies noted. The two-bladed composite propeller hub remained attached to the crankshaft flange. One propeller blade was fractured and found in the impact crater. The second propeller blade was destroyed. The wreckage was retained for further examination.