North American NAVION N1400Z
26 June 1998 · San Andreas, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 June 1998 at about 21:30 local time, a North American NAVION registered N1400Z was involved in an accident near San Andreas, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. 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 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Andreas, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Calaveras County (0O3)
- Coordinates
- 38.2010, -120.6202
- Aircraft
- North American NAVION
- Registration
- N1400Z
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98LA212
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper reinstallation of the fuel selector valve handle, which led to the selection of the wrong fuel tank and fuel starvation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A witness to the accident reported that the airport is located on a plateau and that the surrounding area is not suitable for an off-field landing. The witness reported that he observed the airplane takeoff and as it passed by it looked and sounded normal. He returned to his hangar and heard the engine go to idle. The witness went outside and observed the aircraft losing altitude as it made a 180-degree turn to attempt a return to the runway. The witness reported that the engine caught and sounded as if it was at full power, the airplane regained some altitude, and then the engine stopped. The airplane descended into the ground short of the runway. The pilot stated that he had completed work on the fuel selector handle and had inadvertently reversed the handle when he reinstalled it into the airplane. When he selected the main tank with the fuel selector handle, the fuel valve for the main tank would have been closed and the fuel valve for the aft tank would have been open. The pilot stated that he had refueled the main tank, but the aft tank did not have enough fuel in it to keep the engine running.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other North American NAVION accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug 1998 | North American NAVION | Salinas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Jun 1997 | North American NAVION | Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 1999 | North American NAVION L-17A | Osceola, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 May 1997 | North American NAVION NA-1 | Morristown, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 1997 | North American NAVION B | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Brian Banks | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 2001 | North American NAVION | Santa Ysabel, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1998 | Cessna 152 | Avalon, California, United States | Orange County Flight Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Grumman TS-2A | Banning, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B | Salinas, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Robinson R22B | Ramona, California, United States | Civic Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1998 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Porterville, California, United States | U.s. Dept. of the Interior | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 1998 | Cessna 150K | Yorba Linda, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |