- Date
- March 8, 1987, 16:30 local (Mar 9, 1987, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Ynez, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8162XPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870308005489A
- Case key
- 25536
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
Just after takeoff, the plt reported an engine failure. Unable to return to the airport the plt landed in an open field and collided with the terrain. During the engine examination the fuel diverter valve was removed. Low air pressure was applied to all three fittings, no air flow thru the valve could be obtained. The valve was disassembled which revealed that a piece of the plunger core, a rubber type compound, had broken away from the plunger and was lodged in the fuel outlet fitting blocking the flow of fuel. No other mechanical failures or malfunctions were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8162X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8031067
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-KB, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richards, Joseph S.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 1ZA · Santa Ynez, CA
- Destination
- MMH · Mammoth Lakes, CA
- Airport
- IZA · Santa Ynez, runway 26, 2,800 × 75 ft, dirt
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,770 total · 47 in this make and model · 4,505 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBA, 16 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.