- Date
- October 31, 1989, 10:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Paula, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3036KCulver VEE
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891031046259A
- Case key
- 26670
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 maintain sufficient airspeed for a positive rate of climb.
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.
In flight collision with object
Airspeed - not maintainedCause
Stall/mush - inadvertent
Object - wire,transmission
Analysis
The pilot believed he encountered a tailwind after liftoff and the aircraft settled into power lines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3036K
- Reported as
- Culver VEE
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- V-255
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12FJH, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John D. Jefferies
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Van Nuys, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SZP · Santa Paula, runway 4, 2,650 × 40 ft, asphalt
N3036KRegistration cancelled Sep 13, 2013 · Culver VAirframe modelCulver VEngine modelContinental C85 series
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,984 total · 4 in this make and model · 1,932 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.