Crosby GEE BEE SPORTSTER N11044
23 May 1997 · Watsonville, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 23 May 1997 at about 22:38 local time, a Crosby GEE BEE SPORTSTER registered N11044 was involved in an accident near Watsonville, California, United States. One person was on board and one 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 22:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Watsonville, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Watsonville Muni (WVI)
- Coordinates
- 36.9498, -121.7207
- Aircraft
- Crosby GEE BEE SPORTSTER
- Registration
- N11044
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sacramento → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97LA192
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
an unknown failure of the engine oil system, which resulted in loss of oil and a seized engine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While the pilot was attempting to land, the engine lost power, and the pilot made a forced landing in a farm field. The pilot stated that he saw something depart the engine and hit the right wing. The right wing dipped and contacted the ground. The aircraft cartwheeled and came to rest inverted. On-scene examination of the aircraft revealed that the belly of the fuselage was covered in oil. No oil was found in the engine, and the engine was seized. The actual cause of the loss of oil was not determined due to the separation of the engine from the airframe. The object that the pilot saw departing from the engine was the propeller, which hit the trailing edge of the right wing, subsequently causing the wing to dip and contact the ground.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Airbus A300 B4-203 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Pan American World Airways, In | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Cessna 152 | Julian, California, United States | Plus One Flyers, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Schweizer 2-32 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7ECA | Tracy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 | Castaic, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |