- Date
- February 17, 1985, 19:09 local (Feb 18, 1985, 03:09 UTC)
- Place
- Los Alamitos, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N444SRBeech B 90
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850217003329A
- Case key
- 24654
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
The acft simultaneously lost pwr in both engines after the left fuel pump failed. The fuel system automatically went to x-feed and then the right fuel pump failed. Both engines quit simultaneously after surging. The plt was unable to locatean unlighted rwy and made a forced landing on a city street. During the landing sequence the acft struck some trees, a pwr pole and pwr lines. A small amt of fuel spilled and none remained aboard the acft. The plt stated that he took off knowing that the wing tanks were empty and failed to visually inspect or dip the nacelle tanks. Tests indicated that there was a short in the left nacelle fuel gauge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N444SR
- Reported as
- Beech B 90
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LJ416
- Airframe hours
- 6,800
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-28, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kirk E. Molhook
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · November 30, 1984 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- TOA · Torrance, CA
- Destination
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Airport
- SLI · Los Alamitos
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
- 27
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,970 total · 650 in this make and model · 2,970 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SNA, 11 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.