- Date
- May 3, 1985, 16:29 local (23:29 UTC)
- Place
- Clovis, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1461PPiper PA-23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850503072689A
- Case key
- 24709
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
On initial climb, at 400 ft AGL, the acft's rt engine lost fuel pressure. Then all right engie power was lost. The lt eng continued to operate normally. The plt failed to feather the rt prop & allowed the acft to slow to the point where a mvc roll commenced. He then lost control of the acft and crashed into a building & a parking lot. A post-crash fire occurred which destroyed portions of the acft including portions of its fuel system the structures which remained were examined & no descrepancies were noted. The reason for the low rt engine fuel pressure & its eventual total loss of pwr was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1461P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-524
- Airframe hours
- 3,300
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-2, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- J. Lee Abbott
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 16, 1984
- Departed
- FAT · Fresno, CA
- Destination
- PTV · Porterville, CA
- Airport
- FAT · Fresno Air Terminal
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 260 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAT, 3 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.