- Date
- April 23, 1989, 01:30 local (08:30 UTC)
- Place
- Long Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8827WPiper PA-28-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 26388
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
The pilot's failure to select the proper fuel tank for an adequate fuel supply for the takoeff.
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 pilot was not authorized to fly the airplane. He did state after the accident that the engine quit shortly after takeoff and he was forced to land in a soft field. Three of the four fuel tanks were found to be empty or near the unuseable fuel quantity. The fuel selector was found in the 'off' position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8827W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-10375
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B4B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard Godwin
- Registered owner
- Godwin, Brian D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Unknown
- Airport
- LGB · Long Beach Daugherty Fld., runway 25L, 5,420 × 150 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Flight hours
- 600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Lowest ceiling
- None