- Date
- August 1, 1990, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Burns, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N681MPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900801029619A
- Case key
- 41255
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
Loss of engine power due to a blocked fuel line and the operation of the aircraft in an non-airworthy condition by the PIC.
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 acft, inactive for 8 years, was being ferried to the pilots facilities for rebuild. While in cruise flt, the rt eng quit and the prop would not feather. The acft would not maint alt in that configuration and the pilot began a forced landing, during which the left eng quit. The acft impacted soft terrain, collapsing the ldg gear, and damaging the lower fuselage. The last annual inspection was in 1982. The feery permit issued for the flt expired 2 weeks before the flt. A fuel tank was changed before the flt & the pilot applied tape on the filler cap. Post accident exam of the acft fuel system revealed the left fuel tanks were empty and the rt outboard tank line was blocked. The rt outboard tank was selected when the rt eng quit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N681M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-20
- Airframe hours
- 4,616
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert M. Briggs
- Registered owner
- Dorthea M. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · June 28, 1990 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- S22 · Hermiston, OR
- Destination
- O70 · Jackson, 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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BNO, 9 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 N681M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.