North American F-86F accident near Shafter, California, April 25, 1987
On April 25, 1987 at about 5:15 pm local time, a North American F-86F, registered N86Z, was destroyed in an accident near Shafter, California (Shafter-Minter Fld airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1987 · about 5:15 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Shafter, California · Shafter-Minter Fld · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American F-86F · all F-86Fs on the register
- Registration
- N86Z · no longer on the register · serial 51-12988
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FOLLOWING AN AIRSHOW, THE PILOT TRANSMITTED WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY, THAT THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDED WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. DURING THE FLARE THE AIRCRAFT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE, BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES ON THE RUNWAY, AND BURST INTO FLAMES. POST CRASH INVESTIGATION CONFIRMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT ROTATING (OR WINDMILLING) AND THAT THE EMERGENCY HYDRAULIC SYSTEM WAS NOT BEING USED. FURTHERMORE, THE EJECTION SEAT WAS DISABLED AND THE PILOT WAS NOT WEARING A PARACHUTE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 270 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 16,550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ge J47-27 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: MIT Shafter CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,520 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from BFL, 10 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N86Z: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- North American F-86 9 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- North American 1,297 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Ge J47-27 8 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Shafter-Minter Field · nearest airport
- Van Nuys Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX87DVA06.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.