- Date
- August 2, 1991, 19:58 local (Aug 3, 1991, 02:58 UTC)
- Place
- Byron, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N504DBPiper PA-31-310
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910802060309A
- Case key
- 27315
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 refuel the airplane and his misjudging the distance to the runway.
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 certificated airline transport pilot and three passengers were on a personal cross country flight, which was the third flight of the day. The pilot reported that the airplane's fuel tanks had been filled prior to beginning the flights. When the airplane was about 40 miles short of the destination, both engines sustained a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion. During the ensuing emergency landing the airplane landed 400 feet short of a small airport runway, collided with a fence and ditch, and sheared off the landing gear. No evidence of fuel leakage was found at the fuel caps or fuel drains.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N504DB
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-310
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-222
- Airframe hours
- 9,000
- Engine
- Lycoming TI0-540-A2B, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ricardo Barbera
- Registered owner
- Ricardo Barbera
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 31, 1991 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- L39 · Ramona, CA
- Destination
- APC · Napa, 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,880 total · 270 in this make and model · 1,880 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LVK, 12 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.