- Date
- September 8, 1987, 17:00 local (Sep 9, 1987, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Avenal, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7962DBeech H35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870908080089A
- Case key
- 25686
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
During a pleasure flight, the pilot noted that the oil pressure was reading low. The pilot decided to make a 180 degree turn to land at a nearby airport. En route the oil pressure continued to drop. During the first landing attempt the pilot stated the aircraft was 'too high' and decided to go-around. On the second approach, the engine quit and the aircraft collided with the terrain short of the runway. Inspection of the engine revealed no oil leakage of spills. There were no other mechanical failures or malfunctions reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7962D
- Reported as
- Beech H35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D5221
- Airframe hours
- 4,852
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-E, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Strange, Robert D.
- Registered owner
- Strange, Robert D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 2, 1987 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- 102 · Lakeport, CA
- Destination
- SQL · San Carlos, CA
- Airport
- Avenal, runway 30, 2,880 × 100 ft, gravel
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,705 total · 1,266 in this make and model · 1,596 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PRB, 30 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.