- Date
- June 20, 1989, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Paso Robles, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N69549Cessna 340
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890620016299A
- Case key
- 26435
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
Improper use (mismanagement) of the fuel system by the pilot, which resulted in fuel starvation. Related factors were: the lack of fuel quantity indicators (not installed) in the aircraft, flight by the pilot with this known deficiency, and trees in the emergency landing area.
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
As the airplane was on final approach to land, both engines lost power. The pilot immediately moved the boost pump switches to the high position and switched the fuel selector valves to the auxiliary tanks, but to no avail. Realizing there was insufficient altitude to reach the runway, he maneuvered the airplane to miss some structures, but it collided with trees. An investigation revealed no fuel quantity indicators were installed in the airplane and that the main fuel tanks were empty; however, both auxiliary fuel tanks were full. The owner's manual stated that the auxiliary fuel supply was to be used in cruise flight only and that failure of an engine or engine driven fuel pump would result in fuel not being available from the respective auxiliary tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N69549
- Reported as
- Cessna 340
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 340-0367
- Airframe hours
- 2,148
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Glen A. Thomson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 16, 1989 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- LGB · Long Beach, CA
- Destination
- PRB
- Airport
- PRB · Paso Robles, runway 31, 4,700 × 100 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
- 58
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,804 total · 150 in this make and model · 2,546 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.