Waco ZKC-5 accident near No. Canaan, Connecticut, November 23, 1987
On November 23, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Waco ZKC-5, registered N14164, was substantially damaged in an accident near No. Canaan, Connecticut (No. Canaan airport). It was an instructional 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
- November 23, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- No. Canaan, Connecticut · No. Canaan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco ZKC-5
- Registration
- N14164 · no longer on the register · serial 4236
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A 3-POINT LANDING ATTITUDE AT NORTH CANAAN, CONNECTICUT. THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WHEEL ROTATED 90 DEGREES AND THE LEFT GEAR WAS DRAGGED 144 YARDS BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT BECAME INVERTED. IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE BRAZE JOINT AT THE TOP OF THE INNER TUBE FAILED CAUSING THE STRUT TO EXTEND PAST THE FULL EXTENSION STOP ALLOWING THE WHEEL TO ROTATE. THE ONLY PART HOLDING THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY TO THE STRUT AT THIS POINT WAS THE FLEXIBLE BRAKE LINE.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,080 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1987; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755A-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Caanan CT at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.