- Date
- October 11, 1987, 08:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Porterville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4120FPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871011079099A
- Case key
- 25884
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 normal descent, the engine lost all power. The pilot executed an emergency descent and force landed in a field. An examination of the aircraft wreckage revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel tanks. During a telephone interview, the pilot stated that he 'ran out of gas'. There were no mechanical problems reported prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4120F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7790005
- Airframe hours
- 2,407
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A45, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Porterville Aviation
- Registered owner
- Behrens, John F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FAT · Fresno, CA
- Destination
- PTV · Porterville, 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 107 total · 27 in this make and model · 70 as pilot in command · 76 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.