Aero Commander 690 accident near Appleton, Wisconsin, September 2, 1987
On September 2, 1987 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Aero Commander 690, registered N9168N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Appleton, Wisconsin (Outagamie County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 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
- September 2, 1987 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Appleton, Wisconsin · Outagamie County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690 · all 690s on the register
- Registration
- N9168N · no longer on the register · serial 11068
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT AFTER THE ACFT WAS AT CRUISE FLT, THERE WAS A RAPID LOSS OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE. HE RETURNED TO THE DEP ARPT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET THE LEFT MAIN GEAR TO LOCK DOWN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED WHEN THE ACFT WAS LANDED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED A HYDRAULIC LINE IN THE LEFT WING HAD FAILED WHICH HAD ALLOWED A LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID & PRESSURE. ALSO, THERE WAS A STICKING PRIORITY VALVE. WITH THESE PROBLEMS, THE GEAR COULD NOT BE EXTENDED WITH EITHER THE NORMAL OR EMERG SYS.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 2,405 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,632 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 25, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 9,400 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATW at 1:48 pm
- Destination: STL St. Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:20 pm from ATW, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.