- Date
- March 4, 1988, 20:19 local (Mar 5, 1988, 01:19 UTC)
- Place
- Cleveland, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N198CDPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 21, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880304005859A
- Case key
- 7714
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt rptd that both engines began to surge shortly after t/o during climb. The engines subsequently lost pwr completely, and the plt made a forced ldg in trees. Post-crash exam revealed that the fuel selectors were in the inbd tank positions. The lt inbd tank was found to be empty w/no evidence of leakage present. The rt inbd tank was destroyed. The lt otbd tank was almost full, while the damaged rt otbd tank was partially full. Exam of the engines several days later revealed only trace amounts of fuel. No evidence of water contamination was found anywhere in the fuel system. The plt stated that he tookoff with the fuel selectors on the otbd tank positions and switched to the inbd positions after the engines began to surge. The OAT was about 20 deg f.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N198CD
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27 7654141
- Airframe hours
- 2,320
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- D. C. Holding Corporation
- Registered owner
- Dc Holding Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1987 · 30 hours before
- Destination
- CMH · Columbus, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CGF · Cuyahoga County, runway 5, 5,101 × 100 ft
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,045 total · 42 in this make and model · 904 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CGF, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.