Cessna 500 accident near Willoughby, Ohio, April 25, 1987
On April 25, 1987 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Cessna 500, registered N82AT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willoughby, Ohio (Lost Nation airport). 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
- April 25, 1987 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Willoughby, Ohio · Lost Nation · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 500 · all 500s on the register
- Registration
- N82AT · registry record · serial 500-3012
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN OVER 4 HRS ON PERS. BUSINESS FOR OWNER. PLTS HAD STOPPED AT LNN TO DROP OFF PAX. START & TAXI WERE NORM FOR POSITIONING FLT BACK TO HOME BASE. STARTED T.O. ROLL AND WHEN ENG RPM REACHED 80-85% TOWARD TGT OF 95.7%, PLTS REPTD LOUD 'BANG' AND CP OBSERVED LEFT ENG FAN STAGE PASS THE ACFT, ARC UP AND TO THE RIGHT, AND THEN STRIKE GND AT THE EDGE OF THE RWY AND BOUNCE ONTO THE GRASS 125 FT RIGHT OF THE RWY. THE PLT STOPPED THE ACFT ON THE RWY. INSP OF THE ACFT AND ENG REVEALED UNCONTAINED FAILURE OF LEFT ENG IMPELLER. INSP OF IMPELLER REVEALED FATIGUE CRACKS ON PRESSURE FACE OF IMPELLER.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,811 hours in all; 672 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 2,561 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,553 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 29, 1987; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,850 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT15D-1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 7G8 Middlefield OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 4,870 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from LNN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.