- Date
- March 28, 2025, 09:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Dixon, CA · per (revised) 6120
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N939NPPyka Pelican
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Flight control sys malf/fail
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 199962
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight control system’s unanticipated transition to takeoff abort mode due to a software error in the autonomous flight control system, which resulted in a premature throttle reduction and hard landing.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
A Pyka Inc. unmanned aircraft system (model name Pelican, type: airplane) sustained substantial damage during a flight test at the manufacturer’s test site. There were no injuries. The airplane was operating with an FAA Certificate of Authorization No. 2025-WSA-562-SAC-REV1 and operating exemption No. 23028. According to the manufacturer’s website, the airplane is designed for agricultural spraying applications. It has 4 electric motors that each drive a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller, and has a maximum gross weight of 1,320 lbs. Figure 1. Photo of the Pelican vehicle. (Source: Pyka Inc.) According to the operator, the purpose of the flight was to test landings. Following a normal takeoff in autonomous mode, approximately two seconds into the flight, the ground control station operator issued a land command. In response, the aircraft unexpectedly reduced throttle to idle and annunciated that it had entered a takeoff abort mode. The aircraft then descended and landed abruptly on the dirt runway. The impact resulted in partial separation of the forward fuselage at the wing leading edge and buckling of the aft fuselage on the right side beneath the wing trailing edge. After the accident, the operator discovered an error in the autonomous software that resulted in the unintended behavior of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N939NP
- Reported as
- Pyka Pelican
- Category
- Airplane, unmanned
- Serial number
- 16056PS0030
- Built
- 2023
- Airframe hours
- 251
- Engines
- Sunray Motors DT13855-42P-60KV DC, electricSunray Motors DT13855-42P-60KV DC, electricSunray Motors DT13855-42P-60KV DC, electricSunray Motors DT13855-42P-60KV DC, electric
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Pyka Inc
- Registered owner
- Pyka Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 28, 2025
- Airport
- PVT · Pvt, runway 18, 3,000 × 20 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Data recorder
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 19, 2025
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 432 total · 252 in this make and model · 303 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KEDU, 7 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KEDU 281855Z AUTO 23009KT 10SM SCT030 BKN039 OVC050 16/08 A3006 RMK AO1=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 23, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 MB in all.