- Date
- May 10, 1992, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Arnold, NE
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7282KPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920510014089A
- Case key
- 15290
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed. Factors in the accident were improper adjustment of the carburetor float level by an unknown person, and the pilot's disregarding weight-and-balance.
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
A pilot and two passengers boarded a two-seat airplane. One passenger knelt behind the rear seat, placing the airplane at its rear CG limit. The airplane was observed a mile from its farm strip, in a turn to reverse direction. The engine was running, but cutting out. Nearing 180 degrees of turn, the airplane abruptly pitched down and descended to ground impact. No airframe discrepancy was found. The engine appeared to be running rich due to carburetor float maladjustment. Auto gas drawn from the farm's fuel supply was stale and contained water.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7282K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-189
- Airframe hours
- 1,470
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Beshaler, Charles F.
- Registered owner
- Beshaler, Charles F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 14, 1991 · 35 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · None, runway 31, 1,500 × 50 ft, dirt
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 290 total · 202 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BBW, 20 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.