Amateur-built WHITEHEAD #21 accident near Stratford, Connecticut, December 29, 1986
On December 29, 1986 at about 4:10 pm local time, a amateur-built WHITEHEAD #21, registered N1901G, suffered minor damage in an accident near Stratford, Connecticut (Sikorsky Memorial Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- December 29, 1986 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Stratford, Connecticut · Sikorsky Memorial Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WHITEHEAD #21 WHITEHEAD
- Registration
- N1901G · registry record · serial 21
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT WAS MAKING TAXI TESTS ON AN ABANDONED TAXIWAY WHEN IT BECAME AIRBORNE. A PHOTOGRAPHER RUSHED OUT FROM A MARKED SAFETY AREA DIRECTLY IN THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS STRUCK BY THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVING A BROKEN ARM. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE, LANDING SAFELY WITH THE PILOT NOT INJURED.
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: 50 hours in all; 23 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 4, 1986; 0 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Chotia 09 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,683 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; ovct
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.