Cessna 414A accident near Chinle, Arizona, March 14, 1987
On March 14, 1987 at about 2:13 am local time, a Cessna 414A, registered N26864, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chinle, Arizona (Chinle airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. 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
- March 14, 1987 · about 2:13 am local time
- Place
- Chinle, Arizona · Chinle · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414A · all 414As on the register
- Registration
- N26864 · no longer on the register · serial 0325
- 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 THE RWY LIGHTS ON ONE SIDE OF THE RWY WERE INOP & THAT HE MADE AN APCH TO THE WRONG SIDE OF THE LIGHTS. WHEN HE REALIZED THE ACFT WAS NOT ALIGNED WITH THE RWY, HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND. HOWEVER, AS HE STARTED TO GO-AROUND, THE ACFT HIT A FENCE BESIDE THE RWY & SUBSEQUENTLY CRASH LANDED.
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: 3,750 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 3,550 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,832 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 12, 1987; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 1:02 am
- Runway 35, 4,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 180° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.