- Date
- July 22, 1996, 11:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Vacaville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N236BRDiamond Aircraft Industries Katana DA-20-A1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960722019169A
- Case key
- 29519
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
improper planning/decision by the instructor pilot, which resulted in subsequent fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power, due to an inadequate supply of fuel.
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 flight instructor (CFI) and a rated pilot (student) were on a dual instructional flight and were returning from the practice area to the airport. About 4 miles from the airport, the engine lost power. The CFI took control of the airplane. He turned the fuel pump on, and the engine started and ran for about 2 minutes, then lost power again. The CFI made a forced landing on an unoccupied street. During the landing, the airplane collided with a street sign and a curbing. An FAA inspector reported the airplane was out of fuel. The inspector further stated that the student had questioned the instructor about the fuel quantity before the flight.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 1996, about 1145 hours Pacific daylight time, a Katana DA-20-A1, N236BR, was substantially damaged during an emergency landing at Vacaville, California. Neither the flight instructor nor the student pilot were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight. According to an FAA inspector, the airplane was out of fuel. The inspector further stated that the student pilot had questioned the instructor about the fuel quantity prior to the flight.
The instructor pilot reported that they were returning from the practice area, about 4 miles from the airport, and the engine quit. When he turned on the fuel pump the engine began to run again. Approximately 2 minutes later, the engine quit again. The instructor pilot chose to land on a vacant street and the airplane collided with a street sign and curbing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N236BR
- Reported as
- Diamond Aircraft Industries Katana DA-20-A1 (KATANA DA-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10036
- Airframe hours
- 655
- Engine
- Rotax 912, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Blue Ridge Aeronautics
- Registered owner
- Diamond Financial
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 13, 1996 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- 045 · 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
- 31
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 730 total · 199 in this make and model · 622 as pilot in command · 156 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KSU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.