Piper PA-24-260 accident near Wakeeney, Kansas, April 26, 1985
On April 26, 1985 at about 3:52 am local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N8852P, was destroyed in an accident near Wakeeney, Kansas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- April 26, 1985 · about 3:52 am local time
- Place
- Wakeeney, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N8852P · no longer on the register · serial 24-4308
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON A X-COUNTRY FLT FROM DODGE CITY, KS, TO HILL CITY, KS, THE PLT ENCOUNTERED IFR WX CONDITIONS AROUND WAKEENEY, KS. THE IFR CONDITIONS WERE NOT FORECAST FOR HIS AREA OF FLT. A 2000 CST OBSERVATION AT HILL CITY, KS, WAS INDICATING IFR CONDITIONS EXISTING APRX 2 HRS PRIOR. HILL CITY, KS, IS 22 MI NORTH OF WAKEENEY, KS. THE PLT DID NOT RECEIVE ANY WX BRIEFING FOR CURRENT WX CONDITIONS AT CITY HALL OR THE SURROUNDING AREA OF FLT. NO RECORD OF THE PLT FILING A FLT PLAN FOR THE ROUTE OF FLT WAS RECEIVED. INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE/MALFUNCTION PRIOR TO IMPACT. WITNESSES HEARD THE ACFT FLY OVER JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT AND NOTED WX CONDITIONS AS VERY POOR AT THE TIME. THE ACFT IMPACTED TERRAIN HEADING EAST, APRX 2 1/2 MI NORTH OF THE WAKEENEY ARPT. NO PHYSICAL INCAPACITATION OF THE PLT WAS NOTED.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,745 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DOD Dodge City KS at 2:36 am
- Destination: HLC Hill City KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.