Cessna 210M accident near Greensburg, Kansas, November 6, 1983
On November 6, 1983 at about 2:05 am local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N732SB, was destroyed in an accident near Greensburg, Kansas (Paul Windle airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 6, 1983 · about 2:05 am local time
- Place
- Greensburg, Kansas · Paul Windle · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N732SB · registry record · serial 21051728
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1619 CST, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT CALLED THE DODGE CITY FSS & REQUESTED THE CURRENT DODGE CITY WX. HE WAS GIVEN THE CURRENT & FORCASTED WX. HE TOOK OFF AT 1825 & AT 1846, HE CALLED THE LA JUNTA RADIO & REQUESTED AN UPDATE ON THE DODGE CITY WX AS WELL AS THE GARDEN CITY WX. HE WAS GIVEN THE CURRENT WX, WHICH WAS VFR IN THOSE LOCATIONS, BUT WAS INFORMED THAT IFR OR MINUMUM VFR CONDITIONS WERE FORCASTED. IN OTHER WX UPDATES, HE WAS ADVISED OF A LINE OF CLOUDS IN THE VICINITY OF GARDEN CITY & DODGE CITY & OF A PIREP OF LOW CEILINGS IN THE DODGE CITY AREA. AT APRX 2000. THE ACFT WASOBSERVED TO FLY OVER THE ARPT & TURN LEFT. REPORTEDLY, THE TOP OF A 400 FT ANTENNA WAS NOT VISIBLE AT THAT TIME. WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT ARRIVE, A SEARCH WAS BEGUN. IT WAS FOUND WHERE IT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEFT WING LOW, SLIGHTLY NOSEDOWN ATTITUDE, AT APRX THE AREA FOR A TURN TO BASE LEG, FOR A LANDING ON RWY 17. THE GEAR & FLAPS WERE EXTENDED. NO PREIMPACT FAILURE WAS EVIDENT. NO ROTATING BEACON OR APCH AID FOR THE ARPT. SHOULDER HARNESSES/PLT'S SEAT BELT, UNUSED.
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: 1,861 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 1,796 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,071 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1983; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COS Colorado Spring CO at 11:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,580 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded at 300 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.