Cessna 172 accident near Emporia, Kansas, August 26, 1986
On August 26, 1986 at about 1:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N3791R, suffered minor damage in an accident near Emporia, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 26, 1986 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- Emporia, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N3791R · no longer on the register · serial 17255591
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS FOUND STOPPED IN AN OPEN FIELD HAVING PENETRATED THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARY OF THE EMPORIA AIRPORT PROPERTY. THE ACFT ENG WAS STILL RUNNING WHEN RESCUERS APPROACHED THE LOCATION. FORCED ENTRY WAS MADE INTO THE ACFT TO SHUT THE ENG DOWN AND RESCUE THE PIC. CARDIO PULMONARY RESUSCITATION WAS ATTEMPTED AND THE PIC WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL. THE PIC WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD ON ARRIVAL AT THE HOSPITAL. SUBSEQUENT PATHOLOGY INDICATED THE PIC DIED OF AN ACUTE HEMORRHAGE INTO AND RUPTURE OF A PLAQUE AND FLOPPY MITRAL VALVE, NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH SUDDEN DEATH. AUTOPSY DISCLOSED NO ADDITIONAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEATH. THE PIC WAS BEING TREATED FOR HYPERTENSION ANDHAD BEEN USING 250 MG DAILY DOSAGE OF DIURAL MEDICATION AS PART OF HIS TREATMENT.
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
- Flight time: 314 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 223 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,323 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 19, 1986; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EMP Emporia KS at 12:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:42 pm from EMP, 25 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.
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.