Canadair F86 accident near Hickory, North Carolina, July 24, 2006
On July 24, 2006 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Canadair F86, registered N86FS, was destroyed in an accident near Hickory, North Carolina (Hickory Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper assembly of the airplanes brakes, exceeding the authorized gross weight of the airplane at takeoff, and the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff in sufficient time to avoid an on-ground collision with fixed objects. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in assembling the airplanes brakes.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2006 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Hickory, North Carolina · Hickory Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Canadair F86 · all F86s on the register
- Registration
- N86FS · registry record · serial 1157
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the F86 airplane on takeoff. A decrease in engine power was heard after the airplane crossed an intersecting runway and a few puffs of smoke were observed in the vicinity of the main landing gear. The airplane continued off the runway onto the overrun, collided with fixed objects, and came to a complete stop on an airport perimeter highway engulfed in flames. Initial performance documentation provided to the FAA by the project manager for the F86 revealed the maximum takeoff gross weight of the airplane was 17,300 pounds. The initial takeoff weight computed by the project manager for the F86 was 17,705 pounds. The FAA computed the initial takeoff weight at 17,693 pounds. A subsequent weight and balance was submitted to the FAA by the project manager with undocumented figures indicating the takeoff weight was 16,983 pounds. The departure runway is 6,400 feet long, and the takeoff distance required was 2,600 feet. Examination of the runway revealed evidence of braking action beginning 2,175 feet before the end of the runway. The project manager stated the pilot had observed the assembly and installation of the F86 brake assemblies on four different occasions The pilot assembled and installed the brakes on the F86 by himself four or five days before the accident. Examination and disassembly of the brakes revealed the clearance nuts on the adjuster pins were not rotated the proper amount on the left and right brake assemblies as required by the F86 Restricted Executive Order.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 64 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,954 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 2006; 13.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Orenda 14 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HKY Hickory NC at 3:40 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 6,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KHKY
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.