- Date
- July 13, 1991, 19:05 local (Jul 14, 1991, 02:05 UTC)
- Place
- Hesperia, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N515TWPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910713027409A
- Case key
- 27014
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 improper refueling and inadequate preflight which resulted in fuel contamination and the inadvertent stall.
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 seen draining about one gallon of water from his fuel tank 6 weeks prior to the accident. He did not fly from that time until the day of the accident. The pilot and a friend were observed re-fueling the aircraft with automobile gas. The engines are not certified by the FAA for the use of auto gas. He did not perform a pre-flight inspection nor drain the fuel before his takeoff. After takeoff at about 150 feet AGL both engines failed. The pilot had adequate landing options, but slowed the aircraft in a nose high attitude until it stalled. Altitude did not permit recovery from the stall condition.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N515TW
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-2302
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kbmm Radio, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Kbmm Radio, Inc.
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Destination
- SMO · Santa Monica, CA
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 800 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.