Piper PA-24-260C accident near Ridgecrest, California, August 5, 2010
On August 5, 2010 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-260C, registered N9365P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Ridgecrest, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, as a result of the pilot's improper fuel management during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2010 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Ridgecrest, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260C · all PA-24-260Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9365P · registry record · serial 24-4865
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed for the destination airport with 88 gallons of usable fuel onboard the airplane. The airplane was equipped with two main and two auxiliary fuel tanks. Only one tank at a time could be selected to provide fuel to the engine. According to the manufacturer's Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), for the flight conditions, the airplane had an endurance of about 6.7 hours, and a fuel consumption rate of about 13 gallons per hour. Contrary to the POH procedures, which specified that fuel in the auxiliary tanks should be utilized early in the flight, the pilot reported that he delayed the use of the fuel in the auxiliary tanks until about 4 hours after departure. Up to this point, he had been switching between the left and right main tanks. The pilot eventually switched to the left and then the right auxiliary tanks, but due to a suspected malfunctioning fuel quantity gauge, he switched the selector back to the right main tank. While the pilot was trying to fix the fuel quantity gauge, the engine started to miss and cough and eventually lost power. The airplane entered a descent as the pilot made several unsuccessful attempts to start the engine. The pilot conducted a forced landing on desert terrain with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed that the main fuel tanks contained minimal fuel, while the auxiliary fuel tanks contained sufficient fuel for continued flight.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel indication system › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,473 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 2010; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVO Novato CA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: EED Needles CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 104°F (40°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from NID
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 WPR10FA385.