- Date
- November 9, 2023, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Baker City, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N418BSPiper PA-12
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- 20231109016809A
- Case key
- 193378
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 fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 5
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 a total loss of engine power resulting from fuel exhaustion, approximately one mile from the airport. While executing a forced landing in a farm field, a strong crosswind gust raised one wing. The pilot was unable to recover from this since no power authority was available. When the airplane contacted terrain, the landing gear and wingtip struck the ground, and the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N418BS
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-2831
- Built
- 1947
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 160 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Twin Buttes LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 2023 · 11.91 hours before
- Departed
- Mitchell, OR
- Destination
- BKE · Baker City, OR
- Airport
- KBKE · Baker City Airport
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Last flight review
- March 12, 2021
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,764 total · 753.8 in this make and model · 6.4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 18 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.24 inHg
- Observed at
- KBKE
- METAR
- KBKE 091953Z AUTO 12018G25KT 10SM CLR 07/M01 A3024 RMK AO2 PK WND 11026/1924 SLP264 T00721011
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 6, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.