Dassault DA-20 accident near Wheeling, West Virginia, February 1, 1988
On February 1, 1988 at about 10:03 pm local time, a Dassault DA-20, registered N287W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wheeling, West Virginia (Wheeling-Ohio County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 9 people were 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
- February 1, 1988 · about 10:03 pm local time
- Place
- Wheeling, West Virginia · Wheeling-Ohio County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Dassault DA-20
- Registration
- N287W · registry record · serial 194
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED AFTER AN ILS APCH TO RWY 03. ACCORDING TO THE PLT SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN HE SAW DEER AHEAD ON THE RWY. BEFORE HE COULD TAKE EVASIVE ACTION THE ACFT STRUCK TWO DEER. AFTERWARDS BRAKE PRESSURE WAS LOST. THE PLT STEERED THE ACFT ONTO GRASS OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY TO AVOID GOING PAST THE RWY END AND DOWN A HILL. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT THE DEER WERE STRUCK WITH THE LEFT MAIN GEAR, FRACTURING A HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,175 hours in all; 2,816 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 7,382 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,163 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 1, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 27,337 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF-700-2D2 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Nevada Flyco INC
The flight
- Departed from: CAK Canton OH at 9:35 pm
- Destination: HLG Wheeling WV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:09 pm from HLG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.