Cessna 172 accident near Kimball, Nebraska, February 11, 1988
On February 11, 1988 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N12600, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kimball, Nebraska (Kimball 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
- February 11, 1988 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Kimball, Nebraska · Kimball · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N12600 · registry record · serial 17262103
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT HE WAS USING OUTDATED CHARTS FOR HIS DESTINATION APT. HE FAILED TO NOTICE A NEW RUNWAY. HE ALSO FAILED TO NOTICE THE YELLOW X'S, SIGNIFYING CLOSURE OF THE OLD RUNWAY. IT WAS ALMOST PARALLEL TO THE RUNWAY, WITHIN TEN DEGREES OF HEADING. LDG ON THE CLOSED RUNWAY, AND ROLLING OUT, HE NOTICED A 2 TO 3 FOOT SNOW BANK ACROSS HIS PATH. HE ADDED POWER AND FLEW OVER THE OBSTACLE AND RELANDED ON THE OTHER SIDE. HE SAID HE FELT HE COULD NOT STOP IN THE REMAINING DISTANCE, AND ELECTED TO ABORT THE LANDING AND GO AROUND. HE WAS UNABLE TO CLEAR THE FENCE ON THE BOUNDARY AND THE NOSE GEAR CAUGHT THE WIRES. THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
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: 270 hours in all; 233 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,630 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 1987; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ortner Farms, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 8V5 Holyoke CO at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from SNY, 35 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.