NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX87LA292
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
AN INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WAS GIVING AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PLT (ATP) A CHECK-OUT IN THE PA-34. THE ATP CHECKED THE FUEL QUANTITY & QUESTIONED THE CFI ABOUT THE LVL IN THE LEFT TANK. THE CFI ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS NOT FULL. THE ATP STATED THE FUEL GAUGES INDCD 30 GAL IN THE LEFT TANK & 25 GAL IN THE RGT TANK. DRG THE FLT, THE CFI SHUT DOWN THE LEFT ENG BY PSNG THE LEFT FUEL SELECTOR TO OFF & MOVING THE RGT FUEL SELECTOR TO THE X-FEED PSN. AS THE FLT CONTD (ON A VOR APCH), THE RGT ENG LOST PWR. BOTH FUEL SELECTORS WERE PSND TO ON, BUT NEITHER ENG RESTARTED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT LANDED ABOUT 1/2 MI SHORT OF THE RWY, HIT A FENCE & WAS DAMAGED. AN EXAM REVEALED THERE WAS ABOUT 1.5 GAL OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE LEFT TANK & APRX 42 GAL IN THE RGT TANK. FAA PSNL RPRTD THE PLT LACKED KNOWLEDGE OF EMERG PROCEDURES CONTAINED IN THE PLT OPERG HANDBOOK. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1987_LAX87LA292.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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