- Date
- February 22, 1993, 18:45 local (Feb 23, 1993, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Red Mountain, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5607PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930222003129A
- Case key
- 27934
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 exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his failure to refuel the aircraft. Factors in the accident were the pilot's inability to see the terrain due to the dark night conditions and the flight's encounter with instrument meteorological conditions during the emergency descent following the engine failure.
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 said he departed nas china lake at 1520 hours and flew to san diego, arriving at about 1650 hours. The pilot reported that he flew the entire trip on the left fuel tank. The aircraft was not refueled during the time it was on the ground in san diego. The aircraft departed at 1715 hours for the return to nas china lake. At about 1835 hours the engine quit. The pilot said he switched fuel tanks from the right to the left, energized the boost pump and was able to get an engine restart. A few minutes later, the engine quit again and the pilot said he was unable to get a restart. The aircraft descended into a cloud deck and collided with hilly terrain during the night forced landing attempt over desert terrain. At the time of the engine failure, the pilot was in contact with a TRACON facility receiving radar traffic advisories. He reported to the controller after the engine failure that 'I guess I'm out of fuel.' In his written report of the accident, the pilot stated that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure of the aircraft or engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5607P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-675
- Airframe hours
- 4,739
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- US Navy China Lake Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Lee Phillips
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 22, 1992 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- NID · Nas China Lake, CA
- 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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 203 total · 6 in this make and model · 163 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NID, 23 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.
Other investigations on N5607P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.