Maule M-4 accident near Wellsville, New York, June 20, 1987
On June 20, 1987 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Maule M-4, registered N40354, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wellsville, New York (Wellsville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- June 20, 1987 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wellsville, New York · Wellsville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-4 · all M-4s on the register
- Registration
- N40354 · registry record · serial 2132
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT SHIMMY UPON T/D AND THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT MADE A GO-AROUND AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME CONDITION ON THE SECOND T/D. ON THE THIRD T/D, THE PILOT LANDED BUT WAS ONLY ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE ACFT UNTIL IT HAD SLOWED TO 10-15 MPH. IT THEN VEERED TO THE RIGHT, DIPPING ITS LEFT WING AND COLLAPSING THE LEFT GEAR. THE ACFT CAME TO REST ON THE RUNWAY SUPPORTED BY THE WING, RIGHT MAIN GEAR, AND THE TAIL WHEEL. EXAM OF THE TAIL WHEEL ASSEMBLY REVEALED THAT THE TENSION SPRINGS WERE NOT CONNECTED.
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: 237 hours in all; 67 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 140 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A-350-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Watertown NY at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Dayton OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N40354 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.