Cessna 172B accident near Valley Center, Kansas, July 4, 1985
On July 4, 1985 at about 2:20 am local time, a Cessna 172B, registered N51611, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valley Center, Kansas (High Point 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 4, 1985 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Valley Center, Kansas · High Point · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172B · all 172Bs on the register
- Registration
- N51611 · no longer on the register · serial 17274329
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD BEEN FLYING WITH HIS YOUNG SON AS PASSENGER DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. HE WENT SOLO TO GET CURRENT AT NIGHT. AFTER TWO FULL STOP LANDINGS, HE THOUGHT THE YOKE FELT HEAVY FOR THE TRIM SETTING HE USUALLY USED BUT HE STARTED A TAKEOFF ANYWAY. HALFWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY HE USED MORE NOSE-UP TRIM BUT THE CONTROLS STILL FELT HEAVY SO HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF. HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE RUNWAY AND WENT OFF THE FOUR FOOT HIGH BANK OF DIRT. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE ELEVATOR TRIM POSITION INDICATOR DID NOT INDICATE THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE ELEVATOR TRIM.
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: 256 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 191 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N51611 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.