Summary
On May 20, 1989, a Piper PA-31-350 (N35479) was involved in an incident near Arcata, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: THE PILOTS INACCURATE FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS AND IMPROPER FUEL TANK SELECTOR POSITION. THESE RESULTED IN FUEL STARVATION TO BOTH ENGINES WHEN THE AUX TANKS RAN DRY AND THE MAINS HAD FUEL REMAINING IN THEM. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH TERRAIN ENCOUNTERED WHEN THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO LAND SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.
This incident is documented in NTSB report LAX89LA199. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N35479.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOTS INACCURATE FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS AND IMPROPER FUEL TANK SELECTOR POSITION. THESE RESULTED IN FUEL STARVATION TO BOTH ENGINES WHEN THE AUX TANKS RAN DRY AND THE MAINS HAD FUEL REMAINING IN THEM. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH TERRAIN ENCOUNTERED WHEN THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO LAND SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX89LA199