Douglas DC-6A accident near Ft.Lauderdale, Florida, May 3, 1987
On May 3, 1987 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Douglas DC-6A, registered N43867, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft.Lauderdale, Florida (Ft. Lauderdale Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125). No one was hurt; 3 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
- May 3, 1987 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ft.Lauderdale, Florida · Ft. Lauderdale Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-6A · all DC-6As on the register
- Registration
- N43867 · no longer on the register · serial 44624
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT THEY HAD MADE A NORMAL LANDING AND ON ROLLOUT EXPERIENCED SEVERE VIBRATION FROM A NOSE WHEEL SHIMMY.THE VIBRATION RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SPAR ATTACH POINTS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,480 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 103,800 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-2800-CB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYNN Nassau OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9L, 8,018 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.