- Date
- August 20, 1989, 16:35 local (20:35 UTC)
- Place
- Factoryville, PA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N239Ryan ST-3KR
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890820030459A
- Case key
- 36463
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
Inadequate preflight by the pilot and his misjudgement of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. The ditch was a related factor.
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 airline transport rated pilot had waited over 1 hour for fuel and decided he had enough fuel to get from towanda, PA to seamans airport, PA, so he did not refuel. Subsequently, the engine lost power and the aircraft was landed in a field 1-1/2 to 2 miles from the destination airport. During landing, the aircraft hit a ditch & flipped overon its back. An on-site investigation revealed no fuel was remaining.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N239
- Reported as
- Ryan ST-3KR
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1325
- Airframe hours
- 2,844
- Engine
- Kinner R-56, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ronald H. Gertsen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1989 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- N27 · Towanda, PA
- Destination
- 9N3 · Factoryville, PA
- Airport
- 9N3 · Seamans Field
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 11,400 total · 190 in this make and model · 3,550 as pilot in command · 285 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.