- Date
- January 17, 1989, 13:10 local (19:10 UTC)
- Place
- Greenfield, IA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N24658Beech C-23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890117000729A
- Case key
- 34748
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 assure an an adequate supply of fuel was on board in order to complete the flight.
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 that he was about ten miles from his destination arpt, had it in sight, then closed his IFR flight plan. About 3 miles from the airport, the engine coughed, then started to quit. A switch of fuel tanks was made and the engine ran about 20 to 30 seconds more before quitting completely. An emergency landing was attempted which caused substantial damage to the aircraft. Post accident investigation revealed the fuel tanks to be empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24658
- Reported as
- Beech C-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-1454
- Airframe hours
- 893
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4J, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Redfern, Richard E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 1989 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- FWA · Ft. Wayne, IN
- Destination
- GFZ · Greenfield, IA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GFZ
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,353 total · 180 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 115 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DSM, 40 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.