- Date
- October 15, 2025, 11:06 local (18:06 UTC)
- Place
- Big Sur, CA · 24 miles south of Monterey Bay and 6 miles west of Big Sur
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N335AXHawker Hawker Hunter MK.58
- Defining event
- Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 15, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 201896
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
A complete loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.
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
The pilot reported he and one other airplane was providing adversary and tactical training for United States military aircrews. While enroute to the training area, at flight level 220, he was informed that the fighter element would be about 10 minutes late. To conserve fuel, he reduced the engine power and slowed the airplane. Shortly thereafter, the airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power. The pilot executed the engine malfunction checklist, attempted multiple restarts, however, despite his attempts, the engine would not restart. Concerned that the airplane did not have sufficient altitude and in the interest of public safety due to overcast cloud layer over the nearest airport, the pilot elected to eject over the Pacific Ocean. The airplane was not recovered from the ocean, and the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N335AX
- Reported as
- Hawker Hawker Hunter MK.58
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 41H-697458
- Built
- 1959
- Engine
- Rolls-Royc AVON MK 203, 10,150 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft - federal · Armed forces
- Operator
- Airborne Tactical Advantage Co
- Registered owner
- Hunter Aviation International Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 19, 2025 · 124 hours before
- Departed
- KNTD · Oxnard, CA
- Destination
- KNTD · Oxnard, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KMRY · Monterey Regional Airport
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 26, 2025
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 5,228 total · 1,573 in this make and model · 4,953 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KMRY, 17 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KMRY 151754Z 00000KT 10SM BKN030 OVC044 16/07 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP203 T01610067 10161 20117 51013=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.