- Date
- March 23, 2007, 10:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tulare, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2124NPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 27, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070323003759A
- Case key
- 65483
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 loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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
According to the pilot, approximately 10 minutes after takeoff, the airplane was in cruise flight when the engine "suddenly ran rough, appeared to lose power, then ran rough again." The pilot applied carburetor heat and switched fuel tanks, but this had no significant effect. During the forced landing in tall grass in a barley field, the airplane nosed over. The airplane's vertical fin and rudder were bent, and the propeller was damaged. After the airplane was recovered to an airport, an FAA inspector started the engine and operated it at an idle power setting. The reason for the partial loss of engine power was not determined.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, approximately 10 minutes after takeoff, the airplane was in cruise flight when the engine "suddenly ran rough, appeared to lose power, then ran rough again." The pilot applied carburetor heat and switched fuel tanks, but this had no significant effect. During the forced landing in tall grass in a barley field, the airplane nosed over. The airplane's vertical fin and rudder were bent, and the propeller was damaged. After the airplane was recovered to an airport, an FAA inspector started the engine and operated it at an idle power setting. The reason for the partial loss of engine power was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2124N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-259
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TLR · Tulare, CA
- Destination
- O63 · Exeter, CA
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
- 56
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 65 in this make and model · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Observed at
- KVIS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.