- Date
- February 8, 1986, 15:46 local (23:46 UTC)
- Place
- Middletown, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N45105Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860208005119A
- Case key
- 24900
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 departed the privately owned dirt strip on a sales demonstration flt. The PIC occupied the rear seat and the prospective buyer occupied the front seat. Shortly after departing the eng began to run rough. The acft entered into a course reversal turn. During the turn the acft stalled. The plt was able to recover to a wings level attitude prior to the initial ground contact. After ground contact the acft bounced and struck the ground in a left wing/nose down attitude. The left wing fuel tank line ruptured and a post impact fire began. The acft rotated to the left and came to rest right side up. The occupants were unable to exit the burning acft. The acft had not been flown within the preceding four months. Ground witnesses could not state if either plt had performed a preflight inspection and if the fuel tanks were drained prior to flt. Fuel samples taken from the fuel supply tank were free of any contamination. The eng examination disclosed no evidence of any pre-impact malfunction/failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45105
- Reported as
- Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2611
- Airframe hours
- 2,679
- Engine
- P&W R-985-AN-1, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stephen J. Johnson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1985 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Middletown, CA
- Airport
- 7m Ranch, runway 30, 5,000 × 200 ft, dirt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,723 total · 35 in this make and model · 2,405 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.