- Date
- July 7, 1987, 10:28 local (17:28 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N7485DBeech A60
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 28, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870707041939A
- Case key
- 25409
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach which resulted inthe aircraft stalling.
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 PIC & his wife planned a 30 min pleasure flt to lake tahoe. Prior to departure the plt failed to visually inspect the amount of fuel in the rt wing tank. The tank was full. The tank's cap probably appeared to be secured when, in fact, because of a unique design characteristic, it was merely resting on top of the filler neck. Upon takeoff rotation the cap came off the filler neck & it was followed by a fuel spray. The plt responded & stayed in a very low altitude & close-in traffic pattern. He attempted to land immediately. He lost control during the turn to final, stalled and collided with the pavement prior to reaching the threshold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7485D
- Reported as
- Beech A60
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P-165
- Engine
- Lycoming TI0-541-E1C4, 380 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerlach, John
- Registered owner
- Darline J. & J. Gerlach
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 19, 1986
- Departed
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Destination
- TVL · So. Lake Tahoe, CA
- Airport
- 001 · Santa Rosa Air Center, runway 16, 7,000 × 200 ft, concrete
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,505 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STS, 6 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.