Amateur-built WHITMAN TAILWIND accident near Valley Center, Kansas, August 11, 1986
On August 11, 1986, a amateur-built WHITMAN TAILWIND, registered N3064, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valley Center, Kansas. It was a personal 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
- August 11, 1986
- Place
- Valley Center, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WHITMAN TAILWIND WHITMAN TA
- Registration
- N3064 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT ROLLED FORWARD UNRESTRAINED AFTER THE PIC HAD STARTED THE ENG. THE ACFT WAS NOT MOORED BEFORE THE PIC ATTEMPTED THE HAND START. THE ACFT ROLLED A SHORT DISTANCE WHERE IT IMPACTED THE EDGE OF A BUILDING AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO QUESTION THE PIC AND OBTAIN FACTUAL INFORMATION FROM HIM AFTER THE ACCIDENT PROVED UNSUCCESSFUL.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.