NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX88FA251
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
STUDENT PILOTS FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY REMOVE MOISTURE FROM THE FUEL SYSTEM DURING HIS PREFLIGHT INSPECTION WHICH LED TO A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT.
Factual narrative
AFTER THE STUDENT PILOT DRAINED A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL FROM THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL SUMP HE AND HIS TWO PASSENGERS ENPLANED FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT. AFTER THE ENGINE WAS STARTED FOR THE FLIGHT IT STOPPED FOUR TIMES WHILE TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF. A PASSENGER STATED THAT THE STUDENT PILOT USED THE FUEL PRIMER IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE ENGINE RUNNING. AFTER AN ENGINE RUN-UP THE PILOT TOOKOFF. THE ENGINE BEGAN SPUTTERING JUST AFTER TAKEOFF. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINES AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. A POST CRASH FIRE ERUPTED AND DESTROYED THE AIRCRAFT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1988_LAX88FA251.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.