Cessna 337C accident near Columbus, Ohio, October 27, 1987
On October 27, 1987 at about 1:14 am local time, a Cessna 337C, registered N11GL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, Ohio (Port Columbus Intl. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 1987 · about 1:14 am local time
- Place
- Columbus, Ohio · Port Columbus Intl. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337C · all 337Cs on the register
- Registration
- N11GL · registry record · serial 3370829
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIC RPTED REAR ENG QUIT AFTER TAKE-OFF. FUEL SELECTOR FOUND ON RIGHT MAIN TANK WHICH WAS EMPTY. PROP WAS NOT FEATHERED AND LANDING GEAR WAS FOUND IN TRANSIENT POSITION AFTER CRASH. OWNERS MANUAL CAUTIONS AGAINST HIGHER DRAG WITH GEAR IN TRANSIT DUE TO LARGE GEAR DOORS AND LESS SINGLE ENGINE CAPABILITY WITH FRONT ENGINE. PIC STARTED TURN BACK TO ARPT IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENGINE FAILURE. MINIMAL SINGLE ENGINE CAPABILITY WAS FURTHER DEGRADED BY NON-PERFORMANCE OF EMERGENCY PROCEDURE, PREMATURE MANEUVERING, AND DELAYED GEAR RETRACTION. THE ACFT WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND, AFTER UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTING TO RESTART THE REAR ENGINE, THE PLT SELECTED A FORCED LANDING AREA. ON FINAL, POWER LINES WERE OBSERVED AND IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID THEM, TWO UTILITY POLES WERE STRUCK.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 543 hours in all; 66 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 454 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,901 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:27 am from CMH, 5 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL88LA024.