- Date
- March 28, 2021, 14:00 UTC
- Place
- Watsonville, CA · Airport
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N656DFCostruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2002 Sierra
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20210328005789A
- Case key
- 102824
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 inadequate fuel management which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Findings · 2
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
The pilot reported that during takeoff, the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane struck power lines, nosed over, and impacted terrain. The fuselage and the right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that the reason for the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N656DF
- Reported as
- Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2002 Sierra
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 355
- Built
- 2008
- Engine
- Rotax 912, 99 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Airways Inc
- Registered owner
- Airways Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- WVI · Watsonville Muni, runway 200, 4,501 × 149 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Handheld GPS
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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- May 22, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 140 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- KWVI
- METAR
- KWVI 212053Z AUTO 24007KT 10SM CLR 16/08 A3025 RMK AO2 SLP242 T01610083 58011
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 1, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.