- Date
- January 11, 1990, 12:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Messena, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1506XPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900111000979A
- Case key
- 36598
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 airplane striking a light pole during an off airport landing on a road, due to a double power loss for unknown reasons. Factors related to the accident were: the pilots unfamiliarity with the airplane.
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 airplane was on a ferry flight with additional fuel tanks installed in the cabin. The pilot said his airspeed was reading high, then it dropped to zero. He also said he lost his left generator and the fuel gages were showing a 100 percent increase in fuel consumption. He requested an ILS approach to a nearby airport and while circling to land, on base leg, and experienced a total power loss. The airplane landed on a road 1000 feet short of the runway, striking a light pole with the left wing. The FAA was unable to determine the cause of the power loss and said fuel was available in the tanks.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1506X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7570265
- Airframe hours
- 2,441
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-E, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Orient Air Int'L
- Registered owner
- Weaver Aero Int'L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special flight (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 25, 1989 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- AZO · Kalamazoo, MI
- Destination
- BGR · Bangor, ME
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MSS · Messena, runway 23, 5,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,014 total · 50 in this make and model · 1,354 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.