Taylorcraft DC-65 accident near Davie, Florida, November 3, 1987
On November 3, 1987 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Taylorcraft DC-65, registered N53736, was substantially damaged in an accident near Davie, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1987 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Davie, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft DC-65 · all DC-65s on the register
- Registration
- N53736 · no longer on the register · serial 4011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF DURING THE CROSSWIND TO DOWNWIND TURN AT AN ALT OF APRX 50 FT, THE ACFT STALLED, SPUN TO THE LEFT, & DUE TO THE LOW ALTITUDE THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER PRIOR TO IMPACT IN A LEFT WING LOW NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT, ENG, & RELATED COMPONENTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,800 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 5, 1987; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Weslake CF-007 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from FLL, 7 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 MIA88FA025.