North American T-28C accident near Van Nuys, California, January 1, 1987
On January 1, 1987 at about 5:40 pm local time, a North American T-28C, registered N9022Y, was destroyed in an accident near Van Nuys, California (Van Nuys airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 1987 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Van Nuys, California · Van Nuys · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American T-28C · all T-28Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9022Y · registry record · serial 140593
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLTS WERE PRACTICING LNDGS, AND WERE ON THE 3RD FLT AFTER THE ENG HAD BEEN OVERHAULED. AFTER TAKEOFF FROM A TOUGH-&-GO, THE INSTRUCTOR NOTICED THAT THE OIL TEMP WAS HIGH. SOON THEREAFTER, THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, THEN IT SEIZED. UNABLE TO GET BACK TO THE RWY, HE LANED IN A PLOWED FLD. HE SAID HE INTENDED TO LND WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED, BUT THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE GEAR EXTDD, THEN BOUNCED & NOSED OVR. THE CFI BELIEVED THE STUDENT MAY HAVE EXTDD THE GEAR, JUST BFR LNDG. INV REVEALED A CATASTROPHIC INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE ENG HAD OCCURRED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF AN OVERSPEED. A WITNESS RPRTD THAT DUE TO IMPROPER INSTLN OF THE CARB THROTTLE ARM, THE ENG WENT TO FULL PWR, WHEN IT WAS STARTED AFTER OVERHAUL. RPRTDLY, IT STAYED AT FULL PWR FOR SVRL MIN BFR IT COULD BE SHUT DOWN. A TEARDOWN REVEALED THE CONNECTING RODS HAD FAILED, THE CYL SKIRTS WERE DMGD, 1 PISTON WAS DESTROYED & OTRS WERE DMGD, SVRL BEARINGS WERE WORN & OVERHEATED, METAL CHIPS/CONTAMINATION FND IN ENG & OIL SYS. ENG HAD BEEN OPERD ABOUT 7 HRS SINCE OVERHAUL.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,156 hours in all; 270 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 17,801 as pilot in command; 14,658 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,641 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 1986; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Curtis Wright R-1820-86B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNY at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16R, 8,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:46 pm from VNY, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX87FA072.