Cessna 140 N76918
10 April 1990 · Chico, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 10 April 1990 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N76918, operated by Thomas P Vayda, was involved in an accident near Chico, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Chico, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Ranchaero (023)
- Coordinates
- 39.7408, -121.8293
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140
- Registration
- N76918
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Thomas P Vayda
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA142
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
FUEL STARVATION DUE TO UNPORTING OF THE FUEL PICK UP IN THE FUEL TANK SELECTED FOR THE TAKEOFF.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT AND DISCOVERED THAT NO FUEL WAS AVAILABLE TO REFUEL THE AIRCRAFT. DURING THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION THE PILOT SAID HE VISUALLY EXAMINED THE TANKS AND FOUND THAT HE HAD ABOUT 6 TOTAL GALLONS AVAILABLE. THE PILOT DECIDED TO FLY TO A NEIGHBORING AIRPORT TO OBTAIN FUEL. AFTER A NORMAL RUNUP HE INITIATED A TAKEOFF AND THE ENGINE SPUTTERED ONCE AT ABOUT 100 FEET AGL, THEN QUIT ALTOGETHER. ACCORDING TO CESSNA AIRCRAFT, THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS HAVE PICKUP PORTS AT THE LOWER FORWARD INBOARD CORNER. THE COMPANY SAID THERE IS A PROHIBITION AGAINST TAKEOFF'S WITH FUEL QUANTITIES OF LESS THAN ONE-QUARTER IN THE TANK SELECTED FOR THE MANEUVER. AN ENGINEERING REPRESENTATIVE FROM CESSNA STATED THAT THEIR SERVICE HISTORY ON THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED A 'HIGH NUMBER OF UNPORTING INCIDENTS WITH FUEL QUANTITIES OF LESS THEN ONE- QUARTER.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 140 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 1990 | Cessna 140 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Brown, Joseph C. | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1990 | Cessna 140 | Middlesex, New York, United States | Thomas L. Gaile, SR. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 1990 | Cessna 140 | Vancouver, Washington, United States | Bogar, Floyd | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 1990 | Cessna 140 | Fabens, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 1990 | Cessna 140 | Washougal, Washington, United States | Cummings, David | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 1990 | Cessna 140 | Chico, California, United States | Monzingo, Esther S. | No injuries | - |
All 1,576 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |