White Lightning Aircraft Corp. WLAC-1 accident near Wilmington, Delaware, September 27, 1986
On September 27, 1986 at about 3:28 pm local time, a White Lightning Aircraft Corp. WLAC-1, registered N100WL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wilmington, Delaware. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 27, 1986 · about 3:28 pm local time
- Place
- Wilmington, Delaware · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- White Lightning Aircraft Corp. WLAC-1
- Registration
- N100WL · registry record · serial 100
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A VFR-ON-TOP FLT WITH NO FLT PLAN, THE ENG LOST POWER FROM FUEL STARVATION. THE PLT DID NOT RECOGNIZE THAT FUEL WAS STILL REMAINING IN A NON-SELECTED AUX TANK. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING ON THE MEDIAN OF A HIGHWAY. PROPERTY DAMAGE CONSISTED OF BROKEN UTILITY WIRES. THE PLT WAS UNAWARE THAT HIS PARTNER HAD MADE A FUEL SYSTEM MODIFICATION TO THE HOME BUILT ACFT BY ROUTING THE RETURN FUEL TO THE AUX TANK RATHER THAN THE MAIN TANK.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 25,050 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 22,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Walterboro SC at 3:10 pm
- Destination: ILG Wilmington DE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:42 am from ILG, 2 miles away
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.