Cessna 152 accident near El Dorado, Kansas, September 29, 1987
On September 29, 1987 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6156F, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Dorado, Kansas (El Dorado airport). 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
- September 29, 1987 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- El Dorado, Kansas · El Dorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6156F · no longer on the register · serial A1500433
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING MIDFIELD AND ATTAINING APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET OF ALTITUDE, PLT EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE POWER FAILURE. PLT ATTEMPTED TO RELAND ON INTERSECTING RUNWAY BY EXECUTING AN APPROXIMATE 270 DEGREE TURN. ACFT STRUCK THE TERRAIN BEFORE COMPLETING THE EMERGENCY MANUVER. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO FUEL COMTAMINATION, OR MECHANICAL FAILURE. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AT THE TIME WERE CONDUCIVE FOR CARBURETOR ICING.
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: 600 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 19, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: EMP Emporia KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from ICT
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.