- Date
- February 26, 1989, 16:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- El Paso, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N375MCIntermountain Mfg. Callair A-9B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890226013889A
- Case key
- 22703
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
Engine failure due to the pilot's failure to select the fullest tanks and, failure to maintain adequate flying speed.
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
Acft experienced an eng failure during a low pass over the airport to drop a glider tow rope. The acft subsequently stalled and impacted the ground after the plt failed to properly set up the acft for a forced landing. Investigation revealed about 5 gallons of fuel in the rt tank and zero in the left. The right tank was selected when the acft was inspected. No fuel was found in either the flow divider or the lines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N375MC
- Reported as
- Intermountain Mfg. Callair A-9B (CALLAIR A-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1309
- Airframe hours
- 3,069
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-G1G5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Peter Kussbach
- Registered owner
- El Paso Soaring Society
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 4, 1988 · 26 hours before
- Airport
- TX04 · West Texas, runway 26, 4,100 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Private, Foreign, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,934 total · 13 in this make and model · 1,755 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 11 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Observed at
- ELP, 8 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 N375MC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.