Aeronca 11AC accident near Jeanette, Pennsylvania, May 17, 1987
On May 17, 1987 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Aeronca 11AC, registered N3886E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jeanette, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh 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
- May 17, 1987 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Jeanette, Pennsylvania · Pittsburgh · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11AC · all 11ACs on the register
- Registration
- N3886E · no longer on the register · serial 11AC-580
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT PUT SMALL CHOCKS UNDER THE WHEELS, THEN BEGAN TO HAND PROP THE ENG WITH NO ONE AT THE CONTROLS. THE ENG STARTED, & BEFORE THE PLT COULD REACH THE COCKPIT, THE ACFT MADE SVRL 360 DEG TURNS & SUBSEQUENTLY ROLLED INTO TREES.
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: 539 hours in all; 357 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 508 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,496 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots, gusting 11
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.