NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX91LA178
Registry · N4416A
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-18-150
Year of manufacture
1956 · 35 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20040930
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5517F
Registrant of record
ALTENDORF RICHARD C
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THAT THE PILOT IMPROPERLY SELECTED THE FUEL TANK THAT DID NOT CONTAIN ANY FUEL AND HIS SUBSEQUENT FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED.
Factual narrative
WHILE ON A LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED A TOTAL LOSS POWER. THE PILOT NEGOTIATED SEVERAL TURNS IN SEARCH OF A SUITABLE LANDING AREA. THE PILOT THEN EXECUTED A SHARP 90 DEGREE TURN AND STALLED THE AIRPLANE. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED THAT THE PILOT IMPROPERLY SELECTED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE TO THE LEFT TANK WHICH DID NOT CONTAIN ANY FUEL. THE RIGHT TANK WAS FOUND NEARLY FULL OF FUEL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1991_LAX91LA178.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 (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗