Piper PA-28-180 accident near Lawrence, Kansas, July 13, 1982
On July 13, 1982, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N15970, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lawrence, Kansas (Lawrence Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1982
- Place
- Lawrence, Kansas · Lawrence Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N15970 · no longer on the register · serial 287305202
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 19. HE STATED HE WAS NOT AWARE OF CONSTRUCTION ON THE RUNWAYUNTIL THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE WAS LOWERED DURING THE LANDING ROLL. BY THEN, THE AIRCRAFT'S SPEED WAS TOO SLOW TO GO-AROUND. HE TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND FUEL AND STEERED TO THE LEFT. THE AIRCRAFT RAN INTO A TRENCH WHICH DAMAGED THE NOSE AND RIGHT GEAR AND THE RIGHT WING. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A NOTAM HAD BEEN ISSUED CONCERNING THE RUNWAY CONSTRUCTIONAND THE LANDING TOUCHDOWN MARKINGS HAD BEEN DISPLACED BEYOND THE CONSTRUCTION AREA.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 331 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 261 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,900 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jfp Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MKC Kansas City MO at 6:30 pm
- Destination: L78 Jacumba CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 187°F (86°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from TOP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N15970 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.