Last update: February 18, 2007
Copyright © 1997, 2005 National Speleological Society
All Rights Reserved
Do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise, without permission.
The current file of reports for 1997 includes the incidents listed below. These reports were published in the most recent issue of American Caving Accidents in April 2000. If you have information about an incident which is not listed here, please contact the ACA Editor, Bill Putnam, at putnam@scci.org or use the online accident report form to report it.
Incidents listed in red italics were not published in the 1996-1998 issue of ACA and will appear in the 1999 issue under "Previously Unreported Incidents."
1997 Incidents |
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| Date | Cave | Location | Result | Incident Type |
| 1 January | Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave | Tennessee | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 18 January | Ogle Cave | New Mexico | aid, no injury | stranded, difficulty on rope |
| 13 February | Sunny Jims Cave | California | aid, no injury | stranded, washed into sea cave |
| 14 February | Cheva Cheve | Mexico | injury and aid | rockfall entrapment, caver fall |
| 15 February | Pettijohns Cave | Georgia | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 17 February | Secret Pit | Alabama | no consequence | rockfall |
| 20 February | Battlefield Pit | Tennessee | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 22 February | Norman Cave | West Virginia | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 2 March | Lava tube at Pisgah Crater | California | no consequence | illegal drug lab found in cave |
| 8 March | New River Cave | Virginia | fatality | caver fall |
| 9 March | Buckners Cave | Indiana | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 31 March | Buckners Cave | Indiana | aid, no injury | lost, stranded, inadequate equipment |
| March | Ellisons Cave | Georgia | injury, no aid | caver fall, rope failure |
| 25 April | Pinnacles Cave | California | aid, no injury | stranded, difficulty on rappel |
| 2 May | Glow Worm Cave | Tennessee | aid, no injury | flood entrapment |
| 5 May | Arnold Hollow Cave | Arkansas | aid, no injury | stranded by tight spot |
| 14 May | Bull Cave | Tennessee | aid, no injury | stranded, inadequate equipment |
| 31 May | McBrides Cave | Alabama | injury and aid | caver fall, flood entrapment |
| 31 May | McClungs Cave | West Virginia | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 31 May | Spring Valley Cave | Minnesota | injury, no aid | caver fall |
| May | Schmitt Farm Cave | Iowa | injury and aid | caver fall, inadequate equipment |
| May | unspecified cave | Kentucky | no consequence | difficulty on rope, equipment problem |
| Spring 1997 | unspecified Bath County cave | Virginia | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 7 June | Big Bone Cave | Tennessee | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 7 June | Lawrence Welk Cave | California | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 4 July | Lilburn Cave | California | aid, no injury | difficulty on cable ladder |
| 10 July | Wind-Ice Cave | Wyoming | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 10 July | James Cave | Virginia | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 12 July | Hellhole | West Virginia | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 16 July | Laurel Caverns | Pennsylvania | injury and aid | struck head |
| 19 July | Sotano de Tapanco | Mexico | injury, no aid | rockfall |
| July | Boulder Cave | Vermont | no consequence | rockfall |
| 24 August | Garrison Cave #2 | Missouri | aid, no injury | lost, stranded |
| 30 August | Stephens Gap Pit | Alabama | fatality | caver fall, rappelled off end of rope |
| August | Anhumas Abismo | Brazil | injury and aid | caver fall, lost control of rappel |
| Summer | Bowdern Cave | West Virginia | aid, no injury | lost, inexperience |
| 13 September | Sharps Cave | West Virginia | aid, no injury | lost, inexperience |
| 26 October | J-4 Cave | Pennsylvania | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 1 November | Fern Cave | Alabama | aid, no injury | difficulty on rope |
| 1 November | Illinois Caverns | Illinois | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 2 November | Fern Cave | Alabama | fatality | caver fall, lost control of rappell |
| 22 November | Laurel Caverns | Pennsylvania | injur and aid | caver fall |
| 22 November | Reeves Cave | Indiana | fatality | illness, heart attack in cave |
| 14 December | unidentified sinkhole | Canada | injury and aid | caver fall |
| 20 December | Morrells Cave | Tennessee | injury, no aid | caver fall |
| 22 December | Crossroads Cave | Virginia | aid, no injury | lost, stranded, inadequate equipment |
| 23 December | Freemans Pit | Indiana | injury and aid | caver fall, rappelled off end of rope |
Cave Diving Accidents and Incidents |
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1997 Diving Incidents |
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| Date | Cave | Location | Result | Incident Type |
| 17 August | Four Sharks Blue Hole | Bahamas | fatality | narcosis |
| 27 December | Jackson Blue Spring | Florida | fatality | embolism |
Caving-Related Outside Incidents |
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1997 Outside Incidents |
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| Date | Cave | Location | Result | Incident Type |
| 3 November | unidentified cave | Indiana | no consequence | murder victim found in cave |
| 21 December | Little Scott Cave | Missouri | no consequence | bad air caused by bonfire in cave |
Copyright © 1997, 2005 National Speleological Society
All Rights Reserved
Do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise, without permission.