Piper PA-38-112 N2519N
31 July 1992 · Porterville, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 31 July 1992 at about 01:00 local time, a Piper PA-38-112 registered N2519N, operated by California Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Porterville, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Porterville, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.9593, -118.9208
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112
- Registration
- N2519N
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- California Aviation, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Paso Robles → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX92LA324
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO THE STUDENT PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT AND INFLIGHT PLANNING, AND THE FAILURE TO REFUEL THE AIRCRAFT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT'S STATEMENT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT 5 MILES OUT FROM THE AIRPORT DESCENDING TOWARD THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AND QUIT INTERMITTENTLY. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO AFFECT AN ENGINE RESTART AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH ORANGE TREES ABOUT ONE HALF MILE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON A SOLO CROSS COUNTRY ROUND ROBIN FLIGHT FROM VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, WITH PLANNED STOPS AT PASO ROBLES AND PORTERVILLE FOR A TOTAL DISTANCE OF ABOUT 400 STATUTE MILES. THE DISTANCE FLOWN FROM VAN NUYS TO PORTERVILLE WITH THE STOP AT PASO ROBLES WAS ABOUT 270 MILES. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE STUDENT DEPARTED PASO ROBLES AT ABOUT 1645 HOURS FOR PORTERVILLE AND DID NOT REFUEL THE AIRCRAFT AT PASO ROBLES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EXAMINED BY FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTORS WHO FOUND NO FUEL IN THE FUEL LINES OR CARBURETOR BOWL. NO FUEL SPILLAGE OR ODOR WAS DETECTED IN THE SOIL BENEATH THE AIRCRAFT. THE FUEL TANKS WERE RUPTURED IN THE IMPACT SEQUENCE WITH THE ORANGE TREES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-38 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1992 | Piper PA-38-112 | Salem, Connecticut, United States | American Air Service, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 1992 | Piper PA-38-112 | Brooksville, Florida, United States | Ernest O. Seal, JR. | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 1992 | Piper PA-38-112 | Heathsville, Virginia, United States | Dawn Aeronautics, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1992 | Piper PA-38-112 | Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States | Beverly Flight Center, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Oct 1992 | Piper PA-38-112 | Monroeville, Pennsylvania, United States | Nancie L. Waldron | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 1992 | Piper PA-38-112 | Conway, Massachusetts, United States | City Aviation Incorporated | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Feb 1992 | Piper PA-28R-201T | Ludlow, California, United States | Higgins, Melvin W & Jean | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 1992 | Beechcraft C-23 | Fullerton, California, United States | Eldon R. Howe | No injuries | - |
| 23 Feb 1992 | Cessna 150 | San Jose, California, United States | Veda Corporation | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Feb 1992 | Cessna 182N | San Ardo, California, United States | Soil Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 1992 | Grumman G-164B | Dixon, California, United States | Sunrise Duster, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 1992 | Bellanca 7ECA | Apple Valley, California, United States | Chester Waite | Serious injuries | - |