- Date
- December 19, 1985, 07:53 local (15:53 UTC)
- Place
- Newport Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9044PPiper PA-24-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851219062869A
- Case key
- 24889
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 plt contacted coast TRACON (terminal radar control) & requested VFR traffic advisories to torrence. At aprx 0747 psthe declared an emergency, said the eng had quit & requested vectors to the john wayne/orange county arpt. The controllerprovided a hdg to the arpt as well as the current wind & altimeter setting. At 0748, the controller advised the plt thatthe arpt was at his 11 o'clock psn at 7 mi & that either rwy was available for landing. About 3 min later, the plt said he did not think he was going to reach the arpt. Subsequently, the acft collided with trees, a house & a fence in a residential area. Initial impact was with trees at aprx 35 ft AGL while in a nose high attitude. An exam revealed the fuel selector was positioned to the rgt main tank which had less than 1 gal of fuel remaining. Adequate fuel was still remaining in the left fuel tanks. No preimpact part failure/malfunction was found. The eng operated satisfactorily during a post accident check.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9044P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-4508
- Airframe hours
- 2,983
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-D4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Professional Tax Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1986 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- TOA · Torrence, CA
- Airport
- SNA · John Wayne/Orange County
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 148 total · 61 in this make and model · 115 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SNA, 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.