Cessna 337 accident near Baldwin City, Kansas, June 30, 2018
On June 30, 2018 at about 4:55 pm local time, a 1970 Cessna 337, registered N107BL, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Baldwin City, Kansas (Vinland Valley Aerodrome 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of hydraulic accumulator pressure for reasons that could not be determined, which prevented the propeller from unfeathering, and the pilot's improper decision to attempt a go-around, which resulted in an off-airport landing and the airplane impacting trees and a fence. Contributing to the accident was the loss of tension at the flap switch pivot, which prevented it from holding position.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2018 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Baldwin City, Kansas · Vinland Valley Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337 F, built 1970 · all 337s on the register
- Registration
- N107BL · registry record · serial 33701330
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a local flight to practice single-engine maneuvers. After taking off and climbing the airplane to 3,500 ft, he shut down the rear engine and feathered the propeller. After performing some turns and climbs, the pilot attempted to unfeather the propeller and restart the engine but was unsuccessful. He returned to the airport to set up for a single-engine approach. During the approach, the pilot realized that the flaps were no longer in the full-flap setting and that a landing on the grass runway was going to be close, so he chose to perform a go-around. However, as the pilot began to go around, he realized that the airplane could not maintain altitude. He maneuvered the airplane for an off-airport landing to a nearby field, during which the airplane struck small trees and a fence and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The rear engine propeller had a remote hydraulic accumulator that assisted in unfeathering the propeller and was normally serviced to 120 pounds per square inch (psi). During an annual inspection that took place 4 flight hours before the accident flight, it was noted that the pressure was slightly low. During postaccident examination, the accumulator pressure was 85 psi. It is likely that a nitrogen leak occurred between the time the accumulator was last serviced and the time of the accident; however, the reason for the nitrogen leak could not be determined. Further, the flap switch was not holding position due to a loss of tension at the flap switch pivot, which is likely why the flaps were not in the full-flap setting as reported by the pilot.
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
- Engine shutdown during maneuvering
- Attempted remediation/recovery during maneuvering
- Flight control sys malf/fail during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › TE flap control system › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 8,691 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 8,627 as pilot in command; 77 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 8, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,918 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 2018; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-360-C (piston); 2,065 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-360-C (piston); 1,912 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K64 Baldwin City KS at 4:40 pm
- Destination: K64 Baldwin City KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,030 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from LWC, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CEN18LA246.