Cessna 172P accident near Manhattan, Kansas, May 25, 2007
On May 25, 2007 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N65685, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manhattan, Kansas (Manhattan Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing. A contributing factor was the inadvertent encounter with the military helicopter's rotor wash.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2007 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Manhattan, Kansas · Manhattan Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65685 · no longer on the register · serial 17275818
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure from runway 03, the flight instructor noted a military UH-60 helicopter operating near the runway. The helicopter maneuvered away from runway 03, and the airplane departed. As the airplane reached the traffic pattern altitude (1,900 feet mean sea level), the instructor overheard a second military helicopter pilot report he was on base leg for runway 03. During the legs of the traffic pattern, the instructor reported his position and intentions on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). The instructor reported on CTAF that he was turning for a one-half mile final to runway 03, and a military helicopter at the approach end of runway 03 appeared to proceed upwind. Based on his observations, the flight instructor continued on the visual approach to land. Approximately 200 feet above ground level (agl), the instructor noted that the helicopter did not depart, but was hovering 200 to 300 feet agl approximately 2/3 down the runway. Concerned about the risk of a mid-air collision during a go-around, the instructor decided to continued the landing. As the airplane crossed the runway 03 threshold, the instructor realized the helicopter was hovering at 200 feet agl near the 1,000 foot runway markers. The instructor reported, "As the main wheels touched down the aircraft was caught in a gust of wind from the outflow of the helicopter's rotor wash. The aircraft ballooned up approximately two feet above the runway and immediately caught down flow from the rotor wash which forced the aircraft to the ground. The main wheels struck the runway, followed by the nose wheel which collapsed on impact. The aircraft skidded approximately 25 feet before coming to rest."
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,585 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
Dual student
No details recorded.
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHK Manhattan KS
- Destination: MHK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N65685 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.