Dassault-Breguet 50 incident near Cleveland, Ohio, March 31, 1987
On March 31, 1987 at about 8:57 pm local time, a Dassault-Breguet 50, registered N52DC, was involved in an incident near Cleveland, Ohio. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 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 incident. 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
- March 31, 1987 · about 8:57 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Ohio · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dassault-Breguet 50
- Registration
- N52DC · registry record · serial 51
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AN OPNL ERROR DEVELOPED AS A FALCON 50, N52DC, WAS PROCEEDING SE TOWARD THE DRYER VOR AT FL290 & NORTHWEST FLT 427 WAS PROCEEDING WESTBOUND AT THE SAME ALT TOWARD THE SAME FIX (DRYER VOR). WHEN THE FULL PERFORMANCE LVL (FPL) CONTROLLER (CTLR) SAW THE SITUATION DEVELOPING, HE PROVIDED AVOIDANCE VECTORS TO EACH ACFT. HOWEVER, THEY PASSED EACH OTHER WITH ABOUT 1.5 MI HORIZONTAL SEPN & 800' VERTICAL SEPN. THE WORKLOAD HAD BECOME HEAVY & COMPLEX JUST PRIOR TO THE OCCURRENCE. AS THE TRACKER WAS NOTIFYING THE FPL CTLR OF THE CONFLICT, THE CONFLICT ALERT WAS ACTIVATED.
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: 12,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 38,000 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TFE 731-3-1C (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MBS Saginaw MI
- Destination: DCA Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N52DC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.