- Date
- September 6, 1988, 07:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Calera, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N24487Taylorcraft BL-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880906039489A
- Case key
- 7810
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 reported that the engine lost power during descent. The airplane subsequently crashed into a cornfield after clearing a row of trees, as the plt was attempting to make a forced landing. Post-crash exam of the airplane revealed that both the main & aux fuel tanks were empty. The plt stated that he had departed with an estimated 4 gallons of fuel onboard which was enough for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs of flt. The total duration of the flt was 35 to 55 minutes based on times reported by the plt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24487
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BL-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1827
- Airframe hours
- 1,611
- Engine
- Lycoming O-145, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roger A. Lewis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1988 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- 21A · Alabaster, AL
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 632 total · 40 in this make and model · 577 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BHM, 31 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.