Piper PA-28-180 accident near Ness City, Kansas, September 5, 1992
On September 5, 1992 at about 5:20 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N5272L, was destroyed in an accident near Ness City, Kansas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S (CFI) FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1992 · about 5:20 am local time
- Place
- Ness City, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5272L · no longer on the register · serial 28-4570
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL NIGHT VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED CONTROLLED FLIGHT AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY INCAPACITATION OF THE PILOTS OR MECHANICAL ANOMALIES OF THE AIRPLANE. MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT SITE DURING THE TIME OF THE FLIGHT. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS CONSISTED OF CLOUD BASES AT 2,000 FEET AGL, WITH TOPS TO ABOVE 30,000 FEET, INCLUDING A FORECAST FOR LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE BELOW 11,000 FEET.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 19, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCK Garden City KS at 4:55 am
- Destination: K75 Osborne KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 25 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.