Cessna 172N accident near Cottonwood Fall, Kansas, December 24, 2006
On December 24, 2006 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4811G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cottonwood Fall, Kansas (Chase County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the fence. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inability to properly identify the runway environment, and the improper in-flight decision to initiate a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 2006 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cottonwood Fall, Kansas · Chase County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4811G · registry record · serial 17273359
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was unable to differentiate between the dirt runway and an adjacent road. Upon touchdown, the pilot decided the road was not the runway and initiated a go-around. The pilot reported that she hit and "broke through" a barbed wire fence adjacent to the road, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot continued with the go-around and landed on the runway without further incident. An examination of the airplane's system revealed no anomalies.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 98 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 26 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,530.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2006
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKC Kansas City MO at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 9K0 Cottonwood Fall KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,300 ft by 155 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KEMP, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4811G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.