Cessna 402B accident near Gardner, Kansas, December 13, 1985
On December 13, 1985 at about 9:15 am local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N3950C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gardner, Kansas (Gardner airport). It was a positioning 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
- December 13, 1985 · about 9:15 am local time
- Place
- Gardner, Kansas · Gardner · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3950C · no longer on the register · serial 0827
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
LANDING ON AN ICE COVERED RWY, THE CROSS-WIND WAS STRONGER THAN RPTD. THE ACFT DRIFTED LEFT DESPITE CONTROL INPUT TO CORRECT. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED BEFORE THE PLT COULD INITIATE A GO-AROUND. THE RPTD WIND WAS 340 DEGREES AT 8 KNOTS. THE PLT STATED IT WAS ABOUT 15 TO 20 KNOTS AT THE LANDING SITE.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 14,800 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,272 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1985; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKC Kansas City MO at 8:50 am
- Destination: K34 Gardner KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,280 ft by 26 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 3°F (-16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from IXD, 3 miles away
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 N3950C 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.