Cessna 210K accident near Baxter Springs, Kansas, November 13, 1985
On November 13, 1985 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 210K, registered N5772J, was destroyed in an accident near Baxter Springs, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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 13, 1985 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Baxter Springs, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210K · all 210Ks on the register
- Registration
- N5772J · no longer on the register · serial 21059472
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LNDG AT NEOSHO, MO, THE PLT CALLED THE JOPLIN FSS AT 1132 CST & REQD WX INFO FOR A FLT TO HAYS, KS. THE SPECIALISTADVISED THAT HIS WX COMPUTER WAS OUT OF SVC & SUGGESTED THE PLT CONTACT ANOTHER FACILITY OR CALL BACK IN ABOUT 20 MIN. THE PLT INDICATED HE WAS IN A HURRY & ENDED THE CONVERSATION. NO RECORD WAS FND OF ANY OTHER WX BRIEFING. THE ACFT DEPTDAT 1155 CST. WHILE CRUISING AT 8000', THE PLT ASKED THE CENTER CONTROLLER (CTLR) ABOUT WX ALONG HIS ROUTE. THE CTLR ADVISED HIS RADAR DISPLAYED AN AREA OF LGT SHOWERS AHEAD & CLRD THE PLT TO DEVIATE ARND THE WX. APRX 5 MIN LATER, RADAR & RADIO CONTACT WERE LOST & THE ACFT CRASHED. AN EXAM REVEALED THE L WING HAD SEPD IN FLT FM OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE WING WAS FND APRX 1 MI FM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. NO PRE-ACDNT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. A WX STUDY SHOWED THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN AREA OF FRONTAL ACTIVITY WHERE THUNDERSTORMS (TSTMS) WERE BUILDING. LCL PSNL RPRTD HVY RAIN, LIGHTNING & GND VIS OF 1/8 MI. CONVECTIVE SIGMET 26C (ISSUED AT 1055) WARNED OF IMBEDDED TSTMS IN THE AREA WITH TOPS ABOVE 45,000'.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 647 hours in all; 565 in this make and model; 560 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,066 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EOS Neosho MO at 5:55 pm
- Destination: HYS Hays KS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from JLN, 32 miles away
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.
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.