- Date
- August 21, 1988, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grass Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N56740Aeronca 0-58B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880821034449A
- Case key
- 26087
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
While enroute, the engine sputtered then quit. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a plateau directly below. While on final approach the airplane flew through a downdraft. The pilot was unable to land the airplane on the plateau, instead it collided with the trees prior to the plateau. Inspection of the airplane after the accident revealed that both fuel tanks were exhausted of fuel. The flt time was 30 minutes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56740
- Reported as
- Aeronca 0-58B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 058B12873
- Airframe hours
- 1,361
- Engine
- Continental C-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Andersen, George W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 22, 1988 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- 051 · Lincoln, 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 242 total · 198 in this make and model · 193 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.