Cessna P210N accident near Wichita, Kansas, November 13, 1985
On November 13, 1985, a Cessna P210N, registered N3864P, was destroyed in an accident near Wichita, Kansas (Col James Jabara airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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 13, 1985
- Place
- Wichita, Kansas · Col James Jabara
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N3864P · no longer on the register · serial P21000066
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACDT OCCURRED DURING AN IFR, NON-PRECISION APPROACH TO THE UNCONTROLLED JABARA AIRPORT. WHEN THE FLT WAS ONE MILE FROM THE FAF, ATC TOLD THE FLT THAT IN THE EVENT OF A MISSEDAPPROACH N3864P SHOULD ENTER CONTROLLED AIRSPACE HEADING 360 DEG. THE CONTROLLER OBSERVED THE RADAR DATA REPRESENTING THE FLT CROSS THE FAF ON A WESTERLY HEADING IAW THE PUBLISHED PROCEDURE. A SHORT TIME LATER THE CONTROLLER SAW THE RETURN NORTH OF THE APPROACH PATH TRACKING TO THE NORTH AND THEN SAW THE RETURN DISAPPEAR. EXAMINATION OF THE ACDT SITE REVEALED THAT N3864P COLLIDED WITH TREES ON A NORTHERLY HEADING 4 MI NORTH OF THE APPROACH PATH. THE WRECKAGE OF N3864P WAS SCATTERED ALONG A PATH 580 FT LONG. THE SURVIVING SAID THERE WAS NO WARNING BEFORE THE ACDT OF AN IMPENDING CRASH.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 914 hours in all; 196 in this make and model; 104 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 774 as pilot in command; 142 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,572 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1985; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OJC Olathe KS at 11:44 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.