- Date
- June 22, 1989, 14:11 local (21:11 UTC)
- Place
- Newhall, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N28LRAerospatiale TB-21
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890622017059A
- Case key
- 26232
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fuel contamination, due to the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft fuel system, and inadequate maintenance. A related factor was: inadequate transition training.
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
The plt rprtd to the tower ctlr that he was experiencing eng problems. Shortly thereafter, he rprtd that the eng had 'quit'. As the plt was making an emergency lndg, the airplane collided with a transmission wire & crashed. An investigation revealed contaminants in the airframe & eng fuel systems. Rprtdly, the plt had never drained the fuel selector valve filter, nor was he told abt the drain when he was checked out by the mfg sales rep. The fuel system had been checked for contaminants by an FBO before the plt depd on the acdnt flt. The fuel servo was cleaned & the reinstalling mech drained abt 1/2 gal of fuel. He found no contaminants, but he did not endoscope the tanks as rqrd by the maint manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28LR
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale TB-21
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 812
- Airframe hours
- 157
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AB1AD, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harold Rhoden
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 28, 1988 · 157 hours before
- Departed
- SAC · Sacramento, CA
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Airport
- VNY · Van Nuys
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
- 66
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,269 total · 444 in this make and model · 1,150 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VNY, 10 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.