# NTSB LAX07CA145: Piper J3C-65, N145RL, Redding, CA, April 30, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: April 30, 2007, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC) - Place: Redding, CA - Coordinates: 40.574722, -122.408058 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.5747&lon=-122.4081&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 65724 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX07CA145 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/65724/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA145 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, approach - vfr pattern - final approach - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water collision with object, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - residential area - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The airplane's left wing collided with a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. While on the approach for landing, the engine lost power and the pilot attempted to land the airplane on a residential street. The left wing collided with a tree during the landing ground roll. Recovery personnel noted that no fuel was in the airplane's fuel tanks, and fresh blue staining was evident on the belly area below and behind the fuel strainer drain outlet. The pilot reported that the airplane's fuel tanks had been filled the day preceding the flight, but he could not provide fuel receipts. The airplane's performance specifications state that at 3,000 feet, with 75 percent power and best power mixture, the airplane cruises at 73 miles per hour and achieves a fuel consumption of 4.4 gallons per hour. The fuel capacity is 12 gallons. The straight line distance between the departure and destination airports was 146 nm. The airplane landed 4,500 feet short of the airport. ## Factual narrative On April 30, 2007, about 1000 Pacific daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N145RL, collided with a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Benton Field Airport (O85), Redding, California. The registered owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The cross-country flight departed Gnoss Field Airport (DVO), Novato, California, about 0810, with a planned destination of Redding. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot stated in a written report that as he approached Benton Field, the engine lost all power due to a leak in the belly drain that caused fuel exhaustion. He did not observe this leak during the preflight inspection. Unable to make the airport, he elected to make a forced landing on a residential street. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree trunk, the airplane spun around and stopped, straddling the adjacent sidewalk. A mechanic on scene found no fuel in the fuel tank. He observed recent blue staining in the belly area below the fuel strainer. The straight line distance between Gnoss Field and Benton Field is 146 nautical miles (nm). The airplane's performance specifications were reviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, using a specification sheet for a 1946 Piper J3C-65 obtained from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. At 3,000 feet, with 75 percent power and best power mixture, the airplane cruises at 73 miles per hour and achieves a fuel consumption of 4.4 gallons per hour. The fuel capacity is 12 gallons. The airplane landed 4,500 feet short of the airport. Legal counsel for the pilot reported that the airplane's fuel tank had been filled the day preceding the flight at Gnoss Field, but the pilot could not provide fuel receipts. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N145RL](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N145RL), registered now, S/N 10969, built 1953 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper J3C-65 - Registry model: [Piper J3C-65](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (registry code 7100510) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental A&C65 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (registry code 17003, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 10969 - Airframe hours: 3350 - Engines: Continental C65 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Jeff Iverson - Registered owner: Jeff Iverson - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2006, 101 hours before - Departed: DVO, NOVATO, CA - Destination: O85, REDDING, CA - Airport: O85, Benton Field, runway 33, 2,420 × 80 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2; last flight review March 1, 2006; flight hours: 3,026 total, 260 in this make and model, 2,848 as pilot in command, 35 in the last 90 days, 30 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 40° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: KRDD, 7 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20070430009429A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070430009429A), Apr 30, 2007: Piper J3C65, Redding, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot planned a cross country flight from gnoss field (O56) novato, CA to benton field (O85) Redding, CA. The pilot stated that he had planned this… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.