- Date
- February 25, 1992, 09:06 local (17:06 UTC)
- Place
- Apple Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4193YBellanca 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920225004049A
- Case key
- 27566
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 airspeed and inadvertent stall. Contributing to this accident was engine fuel exhaustion for undetermined reasons.
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
While on a VFR cross country flight the airplane sustained a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. During the ensuing emergency landing to the level, sage brush covered, open desert terrain, the pilot failed to maintain the recommended glide airspeed and stalled the airplane. The investigation determined that on the evening prior to departing on the accident flight the pilot filled the fuel tanks with 19 gallons of fuel which brought both tanks to about 3/4 full. The fuel tanks contained about 29.25 gallons of fuel. The pilot did not visually check the fuel tank level prior to departing on the accident flight. The engine, airframe and engine fuel system examination did not disclose any preexisting malfunctions or failures and the cause of the fuel exhaustion could not be determined. The airplane's owners manual indicates that the fuel endurance range with 29.25 gallons of fuel should have been about 4 hours and 52 minutes at 75% power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4193Y
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1192-77
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Chester Waite, doing business as Lompoc Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Chester Waite
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- LPC · Lompoc, CA
- Destination
- P06 · Bullhead City, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 214 total · 18 in this make and model · 18 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4193Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.