- Date
- July 12, 1987, 17:11 local (Jul 13, 1987, 00:11 UTC)
- Place
- Firebaugh, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N48777Ryan ST3KR
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870712083149A
- Case key
- 25410
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
At about 1650 PDT, the plts of 2 ryan ST3KR acft depd coalinga on a flt to los banos, CA. At about 1709 PDT, the plt of N48777 made a hand signal to the other plt, pointed toward the ground & entered 'a normal glide.' Subsequently, the plt of N48777 maneuvered the acft to land in a cotton fld. However, a witness said that before landing, the acft's nose pitched up, then the acft entered a steep dscnt & crashed. Impact occurred in an estd 20 deg left wing down, 30 deg noselow attitude. The acft came to rest inverted. There was evidence that aprx 1/3 gal of fuel had drained fm the fuel tank. The carburetor had broken drg impact; no fuel was fnd in the line to the carburetor. The fuel selector was fnd in the off psn (small pointer psnd toward 'both off' & the handle pointing toward 'main on'). The fuel sys had a standpipe to provide 3 gal of reserve fuel, but the plt's management of the fuel wasn't determined. Another ST3KR plt estd N48777 hadabout 10 gal of fuel before the flt. A check of the plt's blood showed an alcohol lvl of 0.04%.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48777
- Reported as
- Ryan ST3KR
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1068
- Engine
- Kinner R-55, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William B. Richards
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1984
- Departed
- 308 · Coalinga, CA
- Destination
- LSN · Los Banos, CA
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
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.