- Date
- March 21, 1989, 14:40 local (22:40 UTC)
- Place
- Fullerton, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N84435Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890321004239A
- Case key
- 26355
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
Engine failure due to fuel starvation, the selection of the improper fuel tank by the student, and poor supervision by the instructor. Contributing to the cause of the accident was an inadequate preflight of the airplane by the dual student.
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 the initial climb the engine lost power. A forced landing was made on a residential street. Inspection of the airplane after the accident revealed that the left fuel tank was nearly empty. The right fuel tank contained approximately 10 gallons. The fuel selector had been positioned to the left tank for departure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N84435
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8216010
- Airframe hours
- 3,523
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aviation Facilities Inc.
- Registered owner
- Vance, Bruce L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 2, 1989 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- FUL · Fullerton, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FUL · Fullerton, runway 24, 3,121 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 21
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,173 total · 230 in this make and model · 2,058 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FUL, 1 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.