- Date
- April 10, 1990, 16:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chico, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N76918Cessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900410011779A
- Case key
- 26774
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 starvation due to unporting of the fuel pick up in the fuel tank selected for the takeoff.
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 arrived at the airport for the local flight and discovered that no fuel was available to refuel the aircraft. During the preflight inspection the pilot said he visually examined the tanks and found that he had about 6 total gallons available. The pilot decided to fly to a neighboring airport to obtain fuel. After a normal runup he initiated a takeoff and the engine sputtered once at about 100 feet AGL, then quit altogether. According to Cessna aircraft, the aircraft fuel tanks have pickup ports at the lower forward inboard corner. The company said there is a prohibition against takeoff's with fuel quantities of less than one-quarter in the tank selected for the maneuver. An engineering representative from Cessna stated that their service history on the aircraft revealed a 'high number of unporting incidents with fuel quantities of less then one- quarter.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N76918
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11360
- Airframe hours
- 3,728
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas P Vayda
- Registered owner
- Thomas P Vayda
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 11, 1990 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- 023
- Destination
- 023
- Airport
- 023 · Ranchaero, runway 15, 2,280 × 30 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 542 total · 261 in this make and model · 483 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CIC, 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.