- Date
- November 11, 1989, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pine Bluff, AR
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N95177Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891111045019A
- Case key
- 34910
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
An inadequate preflight which resulted in water contamination in the fuel system and the subsequent loss of power.
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 shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power. An emergency ldg was attempted in a rice field about one half mile from the airport. Post accident investigation revealed the presence of about one gallon of water in the fuel system. The acft had just been refueled prior to departure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95177
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-25834
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2C, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mckinstry, Richard R
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- PBF · Pine Bluff, AR
- Destination
- TUL · Tulsa, OK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PBF
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 149 total · 92 in this make and model · 128 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 8 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Observed at
- PBF, 360 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 N95177 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.