- Date
- June 2, 1990, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Yountville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9939Cullen/Roth Falcon XP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 26577
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 pilot's misjudgement of fuel supply.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical
Fluid,fuel - exhaustion
Fuel supply - misjudgedCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
The pilot of a homebuilt felt a 'shutter' in the engine and made a forced landing in a vineyard. The pilot stated he had been airborne about 40 minutes. The pilot said the spark plugs were found to be ok and the carburetor bowl was empty of fuel. According to the pilot there were about seven gallons of fuel on board at the time of departure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9939
- Reported as
- Cullen/Roth Falcon XP
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 600203
- Airframe hours
- 249
- Engine
- Bombardier ROTAX, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cullen, William E.
- Registered owner
- Cullen, William E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 6, 1989
- Departed
- 102 · Lampson Airport, CA
- Destination
- 056 · Novato, CA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 246 total · 160 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F