- Date
- December 10, 1987, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8767CPiper PA-18-135
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871210070079A
- Case key
- 32107
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Although the plt stated that he performed a preflt & eng runup prior to departure with no problem noted, shortly after takeoff, while climbing through 350 ft, the engine RPM dropped to & stayed between 1500 & 1600. The plt was unable to maintain altitude while attempting to return to the arpt. The acft collided with trees, then the ground. The pax stated that the eng RPM was fluctuating during the ground check. According to witnesses the eng did not appear to be developing full power at departure. Postcrash examination of the engine revealed that the carburetor discharge nozzle was plugged by contaminants. The carburetor heat & mixture control cables were disconnected. Eng run revealed that the left magneto was improperly timed and all leads of the rt magneto were shorted. Last annual inspection was done on 9/24/86.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8767C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 182857
- Airframe hours
- 3,251
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sartoretti, Frank
- Registered owner
- Sartoretti, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 24, 1986 · 141 hours before
- Airport
- 44J · Spruce Creek
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 820 in this make and model · 2,124 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 30,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 6 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.