NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX91LA164
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S POOR PREFLIGHT PLANNING, INADEQUATE FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION, AND THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS WHICH WOULD HAVE GUIDED HIM TO A PROBABLE SAFE LANDING AT AN AIRPORT.
Factual narrative
A PIPER PA 46-310P LOSS ENGINE POWER AND COLLIDED WITH A TELEPHONE POLE DURING THE FORCED LANDING. THE PILOT CONTACTED THE TRACON AND INFORMED THE FACILITY HE HAD A PARTIAL POWER LOSS. THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT TWO MILES EAST OF THE AIRPORT AT ABOUT 3,500 FEET MSL HEADING IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. THE TRACON INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO TURN 150 DEGREES FOR RADAR VECTORS TO RUNWAY 33. THE PILOT DID NOT TURN TO THE 150 DEGREE HEADING, BUT CONTINUED ON A SOUTHWESTERLY COURSE. THE AIRPLANE FLEW PAST THE APPROACH ENDS OF TWO RUNWAYS. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED WESTBOUND AND CRASHED 2.5 MILES WEST OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT INDICATED THE AIRPLANE HAD 300 POUNDS (ABOUT 50 GALLONS) OF FUEL ON BOARD AT TAKEOFF. THE PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK FOR THE PIPER PA 34-310P IS ABOUT 16 GALLONS PER HOUR. THE DURATION OF THE FLIGHT WAS ABOUT ONE HOUR. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL IN THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL SYSTEM OR ANY EVIDENCE OF FUEL SPILLAGE FROM EITHER OF THE WINGS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1991_LAX91LA164.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- AOPA Air Safety Institute 2023 · Safety advisor
Safety Advisor: Fuel Awareness
AOPA Air Safety Institute safety advisor on preventing fuel-exhaustion and fuel-starvation accidents in general aviation. Covers pre-flight fuel planning, reserve requirements (14 CFR 91.151, 91.167),…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Abstract
U.S. Civil Rotorcraft Accidents, 1963 through 1997
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recorded 8,436 rotorcraft accidents during the period mid - 1963 through the end of 1997.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
A study of carburetor/induction system icing in general aviation accidents
An assessment of the frequency and severity of carburetor/induction icing in general-aviation accidents was performed. The available literature and accident data from the National Transportation Safet…
- NASA NTRS 2018 · Other
Parachuting to Safety
NASA's Langley Research Center awarded Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc., three Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to research and develop a new, low cost, lightweight recovery system …
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