Cessna 172M accident near Emporia, Kansas, September 15, 1985
On September 15, 1985 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N61624, was substantially damaged in an accident near Emporia, Kansas (Emporia Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 1985 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Emporia, Kansas · Emporia Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N61624 · registry record · serial 17264682
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWO PLTS WERE ON BOARD. THE LT SEAT PLT WAS MAKING THE LANDING WHEN A GUST OF WIND CAUSED THE ACFT TO BECOME MISALIGNED WITH THE RWY. THE RT SEAT PLT TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT AND ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND. THE RT SEAT PLT SAID HE AIMED FOR A CLEAR SPOT BTW TREES TO CLIMB THROUGH BUT THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER HIT A TREE AND THE ACFT CRASHED.
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: 66 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,524 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 1985; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,950 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:37 pm from EMP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N61624 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 258 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Emporia Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Kansas 1,147 since 1982 · 150 in the last ten years
- Kansas 5,731 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC85LA216.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.