Event LAX87LA195

Factual narrative

SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT REQD AN 'IMMEDIATE DOWNWIND' TO RTRN TO THE ARPT & WAS CLRD TO LAND. WHEN ASKED IF EQUIP-MENT WAS NEEDED, HE REPLIED, 'NEGATIVE, SIR, A LITTLE MATTER OF FUEL.' A WITNESS SAID THE ACFT APPEARED VERY LOW ON FINAL APCH WITH BOTH PROPS TURNING. THE ACFT CRASH LNDD SHORT OF THE RWY, WENT THRU A PERIMETER FENCE & CAME TO REST ON AN INCLINE ABT 10' SHORT OF THE RWY. THE PLT RCVD A HEAD INJURY & COULDN'T REMEMBER MANY DETAILS OF THE OCCURRENCE. IN AN EARLY INTERVIEW, HE INDCD THERE WAS A PARTIAL PWR LOSS & THE ACFT YAWED, BUT HE COULDN'T REMEMBER WHICH ENG 'CUT OUT FIRST.' LATER, HE WAS UNABLE TO RECALL LOSING PWR. SIX GAL OF FUEL WAS FND IN THE L MAIN TANK, ABT 1.5 GAL WAS IN THE R MAIN TANK. THE LEFT FUEL SLCTR WAS FND IN THE 'MAIN' PSN, BUT DUE TO DMG & RESCUE ACTIVITIES, THE PSN OF THE R FUEL SLCTR WAS NOT DETERMINED. BOTH AUX PUMP SWS WERE IN THE 'OFF' PSN. THE L PROP CTL WAS IN THE FEATHER PSN, BUT NEITHER PROP HAD FEATHERED. EACH MAIN TANK HELD 1 GAL OF UNUSABLE FUEL. A TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED 0.045% ALCOHOL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12