NTSB investigations, 1986
180,624 investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board since 1962: 174,602 accidents, the rest incidents and other occurrences. Each has NTSB’s narrative and, once the investigation is done, its probable cause; since 2008, its findings and sequence of events.
Cases, newest first
Query with SQL
duckdb -csv -c "SELECT c.\"ntsbNumber\", c.\"eventDate\", c.\"eventType\", c.\"eventCity\", c.\"eventStateOrRegion\", a.n_number, a.\"aircraftMake\", a.\"aircraftModel\", c.\"highestInjuryLevel\", c.\"totalFatal\", c.\"completionStatus\", c.report_url FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c.\"mKey\" AND a.position = 1 WHERE year(c.\"eventDate\") = 1986 ORDER BY c.\"eventDate\" DESC, c.\"ntsbNumber\" DESC"
Prints the whole list as CSV. It reads the release’s Parquet files over HTTPS, so there’s nothing to download first. Install DuckDB to run it.
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1 WHERE year(c."eventDate") = 1986 ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
Run it at the DuckDB prompt, or in any tool that reads Parquet over HTTPS. More ways to query the release are on Use the data.
NTSB ANC87LA013Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-18 · Big Lake, AKThe student plt stalled the acft at aprx 20 to 30 ft AGL during the initial climbout. Subsequently, the acft impacted the rwy & went off to the side.NTSB SEA87LA026Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 170A · Temple Bar, NVThe plt departed with about 17 gals of auto fuel on board. During flt, the right fuel tank was emptied & the fuel selector was moved to the left tank position. About 1.7 hrs after taking off, the plt entered a left slip to dscnd & make a low pass down a rwy…NTSB NYC87LA040Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportErcoupe 415-C · Stormville, NYThe plt reported that during the landing apch, aprx 1/2 mile from touchdown, the acft descended below the visual glidepath. Recovery was attempted with the application of power, however, the acft mushed into a field short of the rwy. The acft rolled, struck a…NTSB MIA87LA033Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportHickham Twinstar · Bay St. Louis, MSShortly after takeoff on the initial test flt, severe vibration was felt and the plt attempted to return the float equipped acft to the water for a forced ldg. Due to low alt, the plt had to land in trees. An exam of one of the blades of the 3 bladed…NTSB CHI87LA036Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-38-112 · Gaylord, MIThe plt landed on a closed rwy and the acft collided with a snowbank. A NOTAM had been issued three days prior, closing the rwy, however, the plt stated that he had not checked notoms prior to departing traverse city. A plt of another acft, who reported being…NTSB CHI87LA031Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 150F · Nicollet, MNThe plt experienced fuel exhaustion and made an emergency forced landing. With the help of a farmer he refueled the acft and got it to nearby highway 14, where he attempted to takeoff while state police provided road blocks. While on takeoff, the plt lost…NTSB CHI87LA030Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-22 · Rockford, ILDuring landing roll, plt applied brakes too hard at high speed and nosed over.NTSB CHI87LA029Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-180 · Lansing, ILThe plt rprtd he enctrd IFR conds at aprx 400' AGL drg takeoff. He elected to 'fly out of it' & 'was in the clear' afterclbg to 4500' MSL. He elected to return to the arpt & indcd he could see the arpt 'on and off' thru brkn clds. On an apch to lnd, the acft…NTSB BFO87IA008Incident · Minor injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportBoeing 727-231 · Norfolk, VADuring the landing roll the r main gear collapsed. A flight attendant received minor injuries during evacuation of the acft. Examination of the acft disclosed that the shock strut cylinder fractured circumferentially; about 10 inches below the top of the…NTSB NYC87LA035Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 185F · Ithaca, NYThe pilot of the landing Cessna 185 swerved to avoid hitting a deer that was crossing the runway at night. The left wing tip and elevator contacted the runway as the aircraft ground looped. The aircraft received substantial damage, however, it was able to…NTSB NYC87LA034Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMooney M20C · Jackman, METhe pilot attempted a landing on a runway marked with a x. the runway was closed because it had been extended and was very close to some powerlines. The pilot hit the power lines on final and the aircraft received substantial damage. The pilot was seriously…NTSB MKC87LA018Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 150H · Flippin, ARWhile the student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings, the airplane ran off the side of the runway, hit a ditch and flipped forward to the inverted position. The pilot stated he thought one of the brakes had locked. There was no signs of excessive…NTSB LAX87LA063Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 310K · Phoenix, AZThe acft was landed hard while on a pleasure flt. The plt indicated that while en route to his destination it was discovered that the door was not properly shut. He diverted to Phoenix to shut the door. The acft was observed descending vertically from aprx 40…NTSB LAX87FA040Accident · Serious injuriesField investigationFinal reportBoeing A75N1 · Corona, CAThe plt of N621SR said that as he entered the pattern downwind he saw only one low wing acft which was just turning final for rwy 25. On short final the plt said he noticed the wing and cockpit of the other acft in his left side periphial vision one second…NTSB DEN87LA020Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 120 · Peyton, CONC3004N, registered to the plt, ground looped during takeoff in a right quartering tailwind, with a check plt aboard. The plt said that upon rotation he elected to abort the flt. He abruptly reduced the power, the acft settled to the ground and ground looped.…NTSB CHI87LA033Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 182F · Sandwich, ILThe pilot was attempting to hand prop the aircraft due to a low battery. The engine started and the plane began moving. The aircraft struck the pilot and then traveled into a hangar door.NTSB CHI87LA032Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBurkhart Grob 109B · Gregory, MIWhile landing, the aircraft bounced twice, so the pilot decided to go around and make a second attempt. On climb out, the landing gear struck 65 ft tall trees at the end of the runway. The aircraft then stalled and collided with the terrain. Reportedly, the…NTSB SEA87LA025Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportHughes 369D · Winlock, WAThe plt was loading xmas trees from a farm to a truck. He had just released a load and was en route back to the pickup area when the empty long-line sling contacted treetops. The sling rebounded into the tail rotor & damaged the gear box which resulted in…NTSB NYC87LA033Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 33TC · Phillipsburg, PAThe Cessna 337 experienced engine surging and plt made a precautionary landing at an airport while enroute to destination. The aircraft landed 200 ft short of the runway and received substantial damage while the two occupants were not injured. On scene…NTSB NYC87LA032Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-181 · Philadelphia, PADuring hand propping, the aircraft began to move and rolled across a field crashing through a fence when fire erupted destroying the aircraft. The plt stated that after setting brakes to full pressure he atmptd to had prop acft. The eng started and while the…NTSB MIA87LA032Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-32R · Cedar Key, FLThe plt stated that he was not able to see the lighted wind sock from 1000 ft as he was unfamiliar with its location. The acft landed downwind on the rwy & was unable to stop before running off the end. A 15 to 20 kt tailwind was present at the time. The plt…NTSB LAX87FA039Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportBeech D55 · Livermore, CAWitnesses stated that the aircraft started the takeoff roll, became airborne at about 1000 feet down the runway, climbed to an altitude of about 50 feet, rolled to the left and crashed inverted onto a parallel taxiway at about mid field. There was no fire.…NTSB DCA87MA012Accident · No injuriesMajor investigationFinal reportLockheed L1011 · Newark, NJOn November 13, 1986, the rear main spar of the right wing failed as delta flt 194 touched down on rwy 29 at Newark airport. The pilots stated that there was moderate turbulence on final approach and initial touchdown was on the right main gear first. The…NTSB CHI87LA024Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-30 · Minneapolis, MNThe pilot flew for an hour trying to get the gear extended, but was unable. After making a gear up landing, an exam revealed the centering cam on the left side of the nose gear was bent and broken. This could have caused the gear to jam and not extend.NTSB SEA87LA023Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 172M · Corral, IDThe plt was scouting for elk in rugged rising terrain. The eng began losing power, so he applied carburetor heat. However, the RPM dropped further & the acft crashed on wooded terrain. No mechanical difficulties were found. County authorities stated that…NTSB NYC87LA031Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBeech BE18H · Pittsburgh, PAThe aircraft suffered a right landing gear leg breakage due to a fracture in the area where the fork assembly separated during landing roll.NTSB MIA87FA031Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportPiper PA-32RT-300 · Columbus, MSThe acft departed Columbus, MS, en route to meridian, MS, to pick up cargo for a return flt to Columbus. The acft did not arrive at its destination and was later found in an open field about 2 miles southwest of the golden triangle regional airport in…NTSB LAX87LA038Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28-150 · San Jose, CAThe acft went through a fence and collided with trees after a 'hand-propped' start. The student plt had exhausted the acft battery power during previous starting attempts. He then tied the acft down at both wings and the tail. He primed the eng with the…NTSB CHI87LA025Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-34-220T · Detroit, MIUpon landing at Detroit metropolitan airport, the pilot stated that he was instructed by the tower to make a right turn on runway 3C or taxiway j, and taxi to butler aviation. The pilot then turned onto what he thought was taxiway j, but was actually a paved…NTSB ATL87IA020Incident · No injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportBoeing 727-227 · Livingston, TNThe braniff and united Boeing 727 jetliners were approaching 'swapp' intersection on converging jetways at their proper assigned alt of 35,000'. The controller was in the process of issuing radar vectors to assure proper lateral separation when the control…NTSB MKC87LA019Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 152 · Gretna, NEThe instructor stated that this training flight would emphasize power reduction manuevers, to include: slow flight, power-off stalls, and flight at minimum controllable airspeed. Thirty minutes into the flight, and during the application of power for…NTSB LAX87LA037Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna T210N · Buckeye, AZA Cessna T210N crashed when the pilot attempted to underfly wires during a go-around. The pilot misjudged the surface winds and made his final approach with a tail wind. When he passed the midpoint on the 2,600 ft airstrip and still was not on the ground he…NTSB FTW87LA016Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBell 206L · Galveston, TXThe plt was attempting to hover in a tailwind of 35 KTS which exceeded the acft manufacturers performance limitiations for operations in allowable relative wind. The plt lost control of the acft on lift-off. The acft rolled over and came to rest on its right…NTSB CHI87LA028Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBeech 23 · Laporte, INThe plt stated that at the initial full throttle position the acft developed 2450 RPM. According to the plt, at approximately 200 feet of altitude he noticed a loss of rpm's to 2050 and he immediately rechecked the throttle and mixture controls, the magneto…NTSB CHI87LA023Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-32R-300 · Winamac, INAfter noticing a vague shape off the right side of the aircraft, during takeoff run at night, the pilot continued down the runway until the aircraft collided with a 180 pound deer.NTSB MIA87LA029Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 152 · Polarville, MSThe plt stated that he had just completed a touch-&-go ldg and was attempting to take off again. As he added power, the acft began to drift to the left. The acft continued left hitting a ditch along side the rwy and flipping over. The plt stated that the acft…NTSB DEN87LA019Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBell 47G-3B-1 · Goshen, UTThe plt was practicing power recovery autorotations then attempted one power off, full stop. The plt allowed the main rotor RPM to decay during approach and took no corrective action. The acft landed hard with slight forward motion and the plt applied aft…NTSB CHI87LA022Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-28R-200 · South Bend, INDuring cruise at 7000' MSL, the plt assumed that he was having an electrical failure because he had not heard any ARTCC transmissions, fuel gauges were indicating low fuel, ammeter reading was zero, and landing gear would not cycle. He shut off all electrical…NTSB ANC87IA012Incident · No injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportMcdonnell Douglas DC-10 · Adak, AKA canadian pacific Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10 (flt 3), cg-cpj, & a reeve aleutian Boeing 727 (flt 724), N832, were clrd to fly at FL 290 on 2 different airways. The airways crossed at picum intxn, ovr the bearing sea. While traveling in nrly opposite drctns at…NTSB SEA87LA053Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPiper PA-46-310-P · Bremerton, WAThe nose gear did not turn the full 90 degrees prior to locking for landing. When the aircraft's nose was lowered during landing roll this caused the aircraft to veer to the side of the runway. The nose gear had become stiff due to the fact that the…NTSB SEA87LA022Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 182G · Juneau, AKAccording to the plt, he 'greased' the acft on the rwy, but the cast alluminum yoke on the nose gear failed & the nosewheel left the airplane. The strut then failed & the acft was further damaged.NTSB LAX87LA053Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSchweizer SGS 2-33 · Perris, CAA Schweizer sgs 2-33 glider collided with a drainage ditch after a forced landing two miles short of the airport. The glider lost lift and was unable to return to the airport due to power lines in the flight path. The pilot made a 180 degree turn and landed…NTSB LAX87LA036Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 150L · Elk Grove, CAAs the plt was returning from a local flight, the engine lost power for about 15 seconds, then restarted. The plt checked the fuel gauges which indicated one tank was empty and the other was 1/4 full. At about 1-1/2 miles from the airport, the engine lost…NTSB LAX87LA035Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSchweizer SGS2-33A · Sun City, AZWhile on a solo instructional flight, the pilot was unable to find sufficient lift & decided to turn back toward the airport for landing. Due to his low altitude, he was not able to fly a normal pattern entry. A downwind landing was attempted; however, before…NTSB FTW87LA015Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportHouk Pitts S1-S · La Porte, TXA mechanic was attempting to pull the prop through one revolution prior to starting the engine on a pitts S1-S. Due to a bad p-lead on the magneto's the engine fired, causing the prop to strike the right leg of the mechanic. The mechanics leg was amputated…NTSB CHI87DEX01Accident · No injuriesFinal reportTurnbloom Kitfox · Crawfordsville, INThe plt rprtd that when he was preparing for the acft's 1st test flt, he made a hi speed run with the tail raised & acft control was good. On the next run, he planned to let the acft lift off the rwy, then let it settle back on the surface. He stated that he…NTSB ATL87LA019Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 152 · Conway, SCOne blade of the fixed pitch propeller separated 3' from the hub during a routine instructional flight. The imbalance resulted in a broken engine mount and a total loss of power was experienced. A forced landing was made in a soft field during which, the…NTSB ATL87LA018Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 152 · Lexington, NCDuring a local instructional flight, the CFI was demonstrating a simulated emergency landing to a field to a 5 hour pre-solo student pilot. During recovery the aircraft was reportedly affected by a downdraft and collided with a wire. The acft began losing…NTSB SEA87LA024Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCessna 182B · Bellingham, WADrg an attempted start, the eng backfired & an induction fire started. However, the plt did not continue cranking the eng. Strong surface winds inhibited the effectiveness of the acft's portable fire extinguisher. The plt then attempted to use an extinguisher…NTSB SEA87LA021Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBellanca BL17-30 · Beatty, NVWhile in cruise at 11,500 ft MSL, fuel pressure and engine pwr were lost. Plt tried variations of fuel tank selections and boost pump with no success. During forced landing attempt at remote airstrip, plt misjudged approach, stalled acft about 100 yds short…