- Date
- June 22, 1987, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hillsboro, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7481SPiper PA-60-601
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870622028639A
- Case key
- 22253
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
Aprx 3 min after leveling at 6500', the acft began losing pwr despite attempts to remedy the problem by using boost pump & x-feed. Subsequently, both engs lost power & the acft was damaged drg a wheels-up lndg in a milo field. An exam revealed the upper & lower fuel vent lines on both sides of the acft, as well as the lower vent line drains, were partially or fully clogged by hard dirt. The dirt appeared to have been deposited by wasps. The acft had flown only about 2.7 hrs since the last annual inspn on 6/6/87.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7481S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-60-601
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 61004893
- Airframe hours
- 2,862
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-G1B5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cary E.Gillum
- Registered owner
- Cary E Gillum
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 6, 1987 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- F42 · Mesquite, TX
- Destination
- CRP · Corpus Christi, TX
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,850 total · 452 in this make and model · 3,440 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ACT, 15 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.
Other investigations on N7481S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.