- Date
- February 26, 1991, 16:17 local (Feb 27, 1991, 00:17 UTC)
- Place
- Fullerton, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3724PPiper PA-22-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910226003549A
- Case key
- 27122
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 preflight inspection. Contributing to this accident was water in the fuel tank.
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
Prior to departing the noncertificated pilot filled the airplane's gas tanks with about 20 gallons of automotive fuel from unfiltered gasoline cans. He then failed to do an adequate preflight inspection. Shortly after executing a downwind departure and when the airplane was abeam the tower the engine quit. The pilot elected to land in an open field north of the airport. During the landing roll the airplane collided with a ditch and nosed over onto its back. The investigation disclosed that the right fuel tank contained about one half cup of water. The fuel selector was positioned to the right fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3724P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-3442
- Airframe hours
- 3,427
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Clarence Mixon
- Registered owner
- Steven D. Berggren
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Destination
- L66 · Corona, CA
- Airport
- FUL · Fullerton, runway 24, dirt
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FUL, 1 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.