Cessna 182F accident near Pontiac, Michigan, February 21, 1987
On February 21, 1987 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182F, registered N3513U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pontiac, Michigan (Oakland-Pontiac 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
- February 21, 1987 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pontiac, Michigan · Oakland-Pontiac
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3513U · registry record · serial 18254913
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE THE ACFT WAS BEING TAXIED TO A HANGAR AFTER LANDING, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR SPRING STRUT, PN 0741601-1, HAD FAILED WHERE IT WAS CLAMPED TO THE FUSELAGE. A METALLURGICAL EXAM OF THE FRACTURE AREA REVEALED THERE WAS FATIGUE WHERE FRETTING OF THE STRUT HAD OCCURRED AT THE CLAMP. THE ACFT HAD 3300 HRS OF TOTAL FLT TIME & WAS ESTIMATED TO HAVE HAD OVER 3000 LANDINGS.
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
- Flight time: 3,065 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 28, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK at 5:00 pm
- Destination: PTK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from PTK
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.
Other NTSB records under N3513U 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.