- Date
- July 13, 1989, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Walpole, ME
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5014HPiper PA-11
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890713024849A
- Case key
- 36437
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
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the powerline which the airplane contacted.
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 was on a 1 mile decent to his home airport when the engine lost power and shortly there after stopped. The pilot elected to make a 270 degree turn in an effort to make an emergency landing in a field. While the aircraft was on short final, the left landing gear caught a power line causing the aircraft to fall vertically about 20 feet, impacting the ground. An on-scene inspection of the fuel tanks and carburetor showed sufficient fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5014H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-11
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11-849
- Airframe hours
- 6,455
- Engine
- Continental C-90-8F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bernard Paul Risley
- Registered owner
- Gilbert & Genthner, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 20, 1989 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- Wayne, ME
- Destination
- Walpole, ME
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
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 630 total · 125 in this make and model · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.