Piper J3C-65 accident near Redding, California, April 30, 2007
On April 30, 2007 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N145RL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Redding, California (Benton Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2007 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Redding, California · Benton Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N145RL · registry record · serial 10969
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's left wing collided with a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. While on the approach for landing, the engine lost power and the pilot attempted to land the airplane on a residential street. The left wing collided with a tree during the landing ground roll. Recovery personnel noted that no fuel was in the airplane's fuel tanks, and fresh blue staining was evident on the belly area below and behind the fuel strainer drain outlet. The pilot reported that the airplane's fuel tanks had been filled the day preceding the flight, but he could not provide fuel receipts. The airplane's performance specifications state that at 3,000 feet, with 75 percent power and best power mixture, the airplane cruises at 73 miles per hour and achieves a fuel consumption of 4.4 gallons per hour. The fuel capacity is 12 gallons. The straight line distance between the departure and destination airports was 146 nm. The airplane landed 4,500 feet short of the airport.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,026 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,848 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2006; 101 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVO Novato CA
- Destination: O85 Redding CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,420 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KRDD, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX07CA145.