- Date
- October 23, 2020, 15:51 local (22:51 UTC)
- Place
- El Cajon, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N98615Piper J3-C65
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20201023018139A
- Case key
- 102189
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 pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the preflight he checked the fuel sight gauges and he believed that both fuel tanks were full. After flying for about an hour, he returned to the airport for a straight in approach and noticed that the fuel might be near exhaustion since he could not see the float at the bottom of the sight glass. While on a 2-mile final approach, the engine lost power. The pilot subsequently initiated a forced landing to an unoccupied school playground. During the landing roll, the pilot intentionally ground looped the airplane to prevent hitting a chain link fence, however, the right wing collided with the fence and was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failure or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98615
- Reported as
- Piper J3-C65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18838
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 4,216.4
- Engine
- Continental C90, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 29, 2020 · 10 hours before
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather
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
- 79
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 13, 2020
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 4,500 in this make and model · 4,500 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- KSEE, 2 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.