- Date
- August 23, 1987, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Condord, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8441Piper PA-30-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25674
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
After an annual inspection the acft was prepared for a test flight. The pilot loaded 3 passengers and began the run-up checks. During run-up the left engine ran rough. After the roughness cleared the pilot initiated the takeoff. As the acft accelerated down the rwy the left engine ran rough again and the takeoff was aborted. The pilot made another run-up check and another takeoff attempt was made without incident. As the aircraft climbed thru 300 feet MSL the rt engine began to sputter. The climb was continued to 500 feet MSL before the power from the right engine was reduced and the pilot shut the engine down and feathered the propeller. The acft descended as the pilot initiated a turn towards the airport and impacted the marshy ground 2.75 miles from the airport. Post acc exam revealed water and rust particiles on the injector diaphragm and on the fuel inlet screen. An AD was issued on this acft requiring daily and post refueling checks of the fuel sys by draining to avoid the accumulation of water and sediment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8441
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30921
- Airframe hours
- 6,600
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- James Warnick
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 21, 1987
- Departed
- CCR · Concord, CA
- Airport
- CCR · Buchanan Fld, runway 32, 4,601 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,440 total · 440 in this make and model · 2,333 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CCR