Beech E55 accident near Kansas City, Missouri, September 23, 1986
On September 23, 1986 at about 1:13 am local time, a Beech E55, registered N9043V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kansas City, Missouri (Knasas City Downtown 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1986 · about 1:13 am local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri · Knasas City Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech E55 · all E55s on the register
- Registration
- N9043V · registry record · serial TE-919
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT THIS WAS A POSITIONING FLT FOR A 100 HR INSPN & THAT THE ACFT WAS HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THRU-OUT THE FLT. ACCORDING TO HIM, HE EXTENDED THE FLAPS & PUT THE GEAR HANDLE IN THE DOWN POSITION AS HE MADE A VOR APCH AT NIGHT; HOWEVER, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. DURING THE WHEELS UP LANDING, A FIRE OCCURRED IN THE COCKPIT AREA, EXTENSIVELY DAMAGING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, BUT THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE WAS NOT VERIFIED. THE LANDING GEAR UPLOCKS WERE FOUND UNLATCHED, BUT THE WHEELS WERE FOUND IN THEIR RESPECTIVE WHEEL WELLS. AFTER THE ACFT WAS HOISTED OFF THE GROUND, ALL THREE WHEELS EXTENDED WITH NO DIFFICULTY WHEN THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION SYS WAS OPERATED. NEITHER THE ELECTRICAL GEAR MOTOR NOR THE INSIDE OF THE GEAR MOTOR COMPARTMENT WERE BURNED IN THE FIRE, BUT THE MOTOR HAD EVIDENCE OF THERMAL OVERLOAD DAMAGE AROUND THE WINDING. NO INFO WAS RECORDED ON THE TOWER TAPES TO INDICATE A GEAR PROBLEM BEFORE THE ACFT LANDED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,607 hours in all; 510 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 14,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ICT Wichita KS
- Destination: MKC Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:21 am from MKC, 5 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC86LA192.