- Date
- December 1, 1991, 20:30 local (Dec 2, 1991, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Siebert, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3745APiper PA-22-135
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911201053969A
- Case key
- 18182
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
Total loss of engine power due to a plugged vent in the tank filler cap, resulting in fuel starvation. Factors related to the accident were: darkness and the lack of suitable terrain for a 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
During cruise flight, the right fuel tank ran dry and the engine quit running. The pilot switched to the left tank, but the engine would not restart, due to the vent in the tank filler cap being plugged. A forced landing was made to rough up slope terrain in low light conditions. During the landing, the landing gear collapsed and the aircraft flipped over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3745A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-1988
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bolton, Chris A./Jeanne C.
- Registered owner
- Bolton, Chris A./Jeanne C.
- Departed
- OK68 · Medford, OR
- Destination
- FNL · Ft Collins, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 473 total · 473 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 295° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.