Piper PA-24-250 accident near Kimball, Nebraska, March 6, 1987
On March 6, 1987 at about 1:25 am local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5553P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kimball, Nebraska (Kimball Muni airport). It was a personal 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
- March 6, 1987 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- Kimball, Nebraska · Kimball Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5553P · registry record · serial 24-617
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC RPTD LANDING RWY 10 WITH A WND FM 080 AT 7 KTS. THE ACFT BEGAN VEERING LEFT AND RAN THROUGH A SNOW BANK WHICH BORDERED THE RWY. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT SPUN AROUND 180 DEG STOPPING TAIL FIRST. INSP OF THE LANDING GEAR NOTED AN OVERLOAD OF THE GEAR LOCKING MECHANISM.
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: 1,000 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 999 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,944 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kimall NE at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 6,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from BFF, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.