Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Gardner, Kansas, October 17, 1985
On October 17, 1985 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N43429, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gardner, Kansas (Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1985 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Gardner, Kansas · Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N43429 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7435268
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 8 WITH A RIGHT CROSSWIND AND HAD THE RIGHT WING DOWN FOR WIND CORRECTION. THE RIGHT WHEEL IMPACTED A LIP ON THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, 6 INCHES BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE RUNWAY. THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED, THE RIGHT WING TOUCHED DOWN, THEN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,485 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 19,167 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,914 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 1985; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 3,030 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:45 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.