Cessna 172C accident near Grenola, Kansas, February 21, 1999
On February 21, 1999 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N1831Y, was destroyed in an accident near Grenola, Kansas (Liebau Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
loss of control in flight due to incapacitation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 1999 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Grenola, Kansas · Liebau Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1831Y · no longer on the register · serial 172-49431
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot's son said he called his father's house/airstrip at 2100 cst. The house-sitter said the airplane had not arrived. The son arrived at the house at 2200 cst, and searched the road in front of the airstrip looking for signs of the airplane. At 2220 cst, he called the Elk County, Kansas, Sheriff. The Sheriff told him that they were receiving an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal near the airstrip. The wreckage was located about 3,500 feet northeast of the airstrip. Examination of wreckage revealed no anomalies. The pilot autopsy revealed he had 'coronary artery atherosclerosis' with 'up to 95-100 percent narrowing of coronary arteries,' and 'old myocardial infarct of [the] posterior lateral left ventricle.' The Sedgwich County, Kansas, Deputy Coroner/Medical Examiner, who examined the pilot, said the pilot was a high-risk for arrhythmia. He also said that he found an opened container of Nitroglycerine tablets in the pilot's shirt pocket. The results of FAA toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot revealed Moricizine detected in blood and urine. The 52nd Edition of the Physicians' Desk Reference (1998), states that Moricizine is an orally-administered prescription medication that is indicated for the treatment of documented ventricular arrhythmia, such as sustained ventricular tachycardia, that, in the judgment of a physician are life-threatening.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 10 in the last 30 days; 5,036 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,827 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 1998; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GLD Goodland KS at 11:30 pm
- Destination: 45KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:03 am from CNU, 48 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.