# Accident 20260830012039A: Soto William J CH701, Byron, CA, August 30, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 30, 2026, 09:23 local time
- Place: Byron, CA
- Airport: Byron Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.8266° N, 121.6222° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.8266&lon=-121.6222&mi=10
- Aircraft: N701WJ, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N701WJ) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Soto William J CH701 (registry code 056375K, https://openairdocs.org/model/soto-william-j-ch701) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Aeromoment AM13 series (registry code 00450, https://openairdocs.org/engine/aeromoment-am13-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SOTO WILLIAM J CH701
- Reported engine: AEROMOMENT AM13 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 465 total, 87 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR26LA324](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA324) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260830012039A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

IT WAS REPORTED BY THE BYRON AIRPORT AIRCRAFT RESCUE FIRE FIGHTING (ARFF) TEAM THAT ON AUGUST 30, 2026, AT BYRON AIRPORT (C83) IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITH 1 POB, WAS INVOLVED IN A SINGLE AIRCRAFT INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 9:23AM PST WITH VFR FLIGHT WITH FAIR WEATHER CONDITIONS, TEMPERATURE AT 69.8F, AND WIND SOUTHWEST AT 17.3 MPH. THE PILOT STATED HE TAXIED TO RWY 23 TO CONTINUE TESTS WITH FAST RUNS AND SHORT TAKEOFFS TO VERIFY RECENT AIRFRAME REPAIRS WERE OPERATIONAL AND SATISFACTORY.  AFTER 2 CYCLES, HE OBSERVED NO ISSUES. PILOT THEN TURNED ON THE PATTERN, AND AT APPROXIMATELY 300 AGL, EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION IN RPM/LOSS OF POWER TO ENGINE. PILOT STATED THAT HE PERFORMED A 180-DEGREE TURN TO LAND ON RWY 5 AND MANAGED TO LAND IN THE HML AREA. THE AIRCRAFT HIT A DITCH WHICH CAUSED THE PLANE TO FLIP OVER. APPROXIMATE SPEED AT IMPACT IN DITCH WAS 30 MPH. AIRCRAFT CAME TO A REST IN THE GRASSY AREA BETWEEN TWY A, B, AND C. NO INJURIES NOTED. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE INCLUDING BOTH WING TIPS AND LEADING EDGES, WING SPARS, LFT WING STRUT, NOSE GEAR, PROPELLER, AFT FUSELAGE, AND TAIL RUDDER. ARFF WAS NOTIFIED OF INCIDENT AT 9:40AM, ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 9:43AM, AND CLEARED ACCIDENT SCENE AT 10:52AM. AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED BY NTSB AT 10:06AM. PILOT ADVISED NOT TO PERFORM ANY MAINTENANCE ON AIRCRAFT. AFTER RETURNING PLANE TO THE HANGAR, PILOT CHECKED SYSTEMS AND NOTICED THAT #2 FUEL PUMP WAS INOPERATIVE. ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2026, FAA INSPECTORS ARRIVED ON SCENE TO INSPECT THE AIRCRAFT AND INTERVIEW PILOT FOR STATEMENT. FAA INSPECTORS WERE ABLE TO VERIFY THAT #1 FUEL PUMP OPERATIVE, BUT #2 FUEL PUMP WAS INOPERATIVE. ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2026, NTSB INVESTIGATOR ARRIVED ON SCENE TO INSPECT AIRCRAFT. INVESTIGATOR FOUND A LOOSE WIRE CONNECTION TO FUEL PUMP AT THE TERMINAL END. WIRE CONNECTION  WAS FOUND TO BE IMPROPERLY CRIMPED CAUSING ELECTRIC FLOW AND FUEL FLOW TO BE DISRUPTED. AFTER REPAIR, #2 FUEL PUMP OPERATIVE AND ENGINE RUN UP NORMAL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR26LA324](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA324), Aug 30, 2026: Zenith CH701 (N701WJ), Byron, CA, substantial damage, investigation ongoing

## Other reports on N701WJ (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20191129022279A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20191129022279A), Nov 29, 2019: Soto William J CH701 (N701WJ), Byron, CA, Substantial damage. N701WJ accident @ Byron airport (C83) on 11/30/19, 0000Z. Crashed about 700 ft short of runway 23. POB:1; injuries: none; damage: substantial.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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