Champion AERONCA TL accident near White Mountain, Alaska, September 26, 1987
On September 26, 1987 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Champion AERONCA TL, registered N3446, was substantially damaged in an accident near White Mountain, Alaska. 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
- September 26, 1987 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- White Mountain, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion AERONCA TL
- Registration
- N3446 · registry record · serial L100718
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED UPON TOUCHDOWN THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED AND GROUNDLOOPED. THE ACFT HAD BEEN LANDED ON A GRAVEL BAR AND THE LANDING AREA WAS LOOSE GRAVEL AND ROCKS. NO MALFUNCTIONS OF THE ACFT WERE REPORTED. THE PLT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THE BOUNCED LANDING RESULTED FROM THE LARGER ROCKS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 524 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 419 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1975; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N3446 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.