- Date
- June 3, 1990, 08:32 local (14:32 UTC)
- Place
- Belgrade, MT
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9375TPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900603018089A
- Case key
- 17939
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 inadvertent stall experienced during the attempted forced landing.
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 acft had aprx 10 gal in the left tank and 8 gal in the right tank prior to takeoff. The plt and pax took off, did 3 touch-and-goes, then went sightseeing. They returned to the arpt and did another touch-and-go. On climbout, the eng quit. The plt managed to restart the eng, but it quit again. The acft was seen to make a steep right bank and crash. The fuel system was not compromised. Aprx 10 gal of fuel remained in the left tank. No fuel was in the right tank and the gascolator was dry. The fuel selector was on the right tank. The acft had flown for 2.1 hrs prior to the accident. Fuel consumption varies from 4.3 to 6.5 gph, depending on pwr setting and alt flown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9375T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-78A0078
- Airframe hours
- 3,792
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sunbird Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Sunbird Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 23, 1990 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- BZN
- Destination
- BZN
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 128 total · 6 in this make and model · 83 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BZN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.