Porterfield CP-65 accident near Johnson Valley, California, August 2, 1999
On August 2, 1999 at about 8:32 pm local time, a Porterfield CP-65, registered N32409, was destroyed in an accident near Johnson Valley, California (Johnson Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed while attempting to make a precautionary landing, which resulted in a stall/spin and collision with the terrain. A factor in his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed is the pilot's likely diverted attention to the oil loss problem and pending engine failure. An additional factor is the pilot/mechanic's improper installation of an unapproved oil hose, which ruptured under pressure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1999 · about 8:32 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Johnson Valley, California · Johnson Valley · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Porterfield CP-65 · all CP-65s on the register
- Registration
- N32409 · no longer on the register · serial 839
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airstrip manager arrived at the airstrip and found the aircraft parked on the ramp. The pilot informed him that he had noticed a drop in oil pressure during his flight and had landed and 'fixed the problem.' The pilot asked for oil and the airport manager gave him 6 quarts of automotive oil. The manager saw the pilot pour 3 quarts of oil into the oil tank and put the additional 3 quarts of oil in the back of the aircraft cockpit. He hand-propped the aircraft and the engine fired immediately with no apparent difficulties. After the pilot took off, the manager noticed dark smoke coming from the exhaust. The airplane completed a crosswind and downwind traffic pattern leg, and appeared to be headed back toward the airport. The airstrip manager stated that as the airplane turned from base to final about 300 feet agl, it stalled, entered a 180-degree spin, and impacted the ground in a near vertical, nose down attitude. There were streaks of oil underneath the engine outward to the left wing and wheel pants, and the bottom of the fuselage was covered in oil. The oil line that provides the reading for the oil pressure gauge was found to be split approximately 180 degrees in circumference at the hose fitting, and was split in two other locations. The hose was a soft, pliable rubber material, and testing revealed that it was pressure-rated at 10 psi. Oil is pumped through the line about 40 to 45 psi during normal operations. The oil pressure hose fitting on the engine was not equipped with a restricted orifice to prevent the escape of fluid in case of line failure as required by regulation.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,360 hours in all; 800 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,807 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1998; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6CA5 at 8:30 pm
- Destination: TNP Twenty Nine Pal CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,800 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from NXP, 21 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N32409: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Porterfield CP-65 19 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Porterfield 77 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A65-8F 24 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Valley Vista Airport · nearest airport
- Twentynine Palms Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,094 in the last ten years
- California 28,286 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX99FA261.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.