Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / LAX90LA327

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event LAX90LA327

1990-09-20 PALM SPRINGS, California, United States None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N10797

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA T206H

Year of manufacture

2005

Engine

LYCOMING TI0-540 SER (310 hp)

Seats / Engines

6 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20050504

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A02268

Registrant of record

HAGER THOMAS A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

FUEL EXHAUSTION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS RELATED TO THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PREFLIGHT PREPARATION, AND HIS LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT PLANNED TO PRACTICE FLYING USING INSTRUMENTS, AND HE HAD A SAFETY PILOT ACCOMPANY HIM. DURING THE FLIGHT ALL ENGINE POWER WAS LOST AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT A NEARBY AIRPORT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO MAKE THE AIRPORT, SO HE LANDED NEARBY ON DESSERT TERRAIN. UPON TOUCHDOWN THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A BERM. THE PLOT SUBSEQUENTLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF 'FUEL STARVATION.' THE PILOT HAD 57 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN THE CESSNA AIRPLANE, AND HE HAD BEEN A CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT FOR TWO MONTHS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_LAX90LA327.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.