NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX03LA255
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On August 9, 2003, about 0945 Pacific daylight time, a Lefever experimental Skybolt, N94PL, had a hard landing while making an emergency landing to a field near Mount Hamilton, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal cross-country flight departed Lodi Airport Lodi, California, about 0900 en route to San Martin, California. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 37 degrees 22 minutes north latitude and 121 degrees 38 minutes west longitude. The pilot reported that while he was cruising at 5500 msl the engine quit. He thought that he had run out of fuel. The FAA inspector who responded to the accident site was not able to locate any fuel in any of the fuel tanks. There also was no indication of any fuel leaks. The pilot said he had flown about 1and 3/4 hours since refueling the airplane. The airplane holds enough fuel in the main tanks for approximately two hours flight time. The airplane is equipped with an additional fuel tank, but the pilot said he only uses it for ferry flights.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a free ballon rating, and a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine, and multi-engine land ratings. The pilot held an expired third class medical certificate that was issued on September 22, 1998. It had the limitations that the pilot must wear corrective lenses glasses for distant vision. The pilot reported an estimated total flight time of 2,086 hours. He logged 24.4 hours in the last 90 days, and 1.3 in the last 30 days. He had en estimated 95 hours in this make and model.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was a experimental Lefever-Paul, Skybolt, serial number 55118501. A review of the airplane's logbooks revealed a total airframe time of 1,451 hours at the last annual inspection. An annual inspection was completed on August 1, 2003. The airplane had 1.3 hours since the annual inspection at the time of the accident. The airplane had a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-470-F engine, serial number 76357-1F. Total time on the engine at the last annual inspection was 623 hours since overhaul. The pilot reported no unresolved maintenance discrepancies against the airplane prior to departure. The pilot reported that while he was cruising at 5,500 mean sea level the engine quit, and he thought that he had run out of fuel. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident site was not able to locate any fuel in any of the fuel tanks, and there was no indication of a fuel leak. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2003_LAX03LA255.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2026 · Journal article (IJAAA)
From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments
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- Semantic Scholar 2025 · Article (Applied Sciences)
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The implementation of predictive maintenance (PM) in aviation presents unique challenges due to strict safety requirements, complex operational environments, and regulatory constraints.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
Low-Resource Automatic Speech Recognition Domain Adaptation – A Case-Study in Aviation Maintenance
With timeliness and efficiency being critical in the aviation maintenance industry, the need has been growing for smart technological solutions that optimize and streamline the different underlying ta…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
A New Trajectory in UAV Safety: Leveraging Reinforcement Learning for Distance Maintenance Under Wind Variations
In the field of aviation, safety is a critical cornerstone, and the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems is deeply connected with this principle.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Just Culture in Aviation: A Metaphorical Study on Aircraft Maintenance Students
Just Culture, a sub-dimension of safety culture, has been a prominent and debated topic in aviation safety in recent years.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Performance PRISM: A Comprehensive Framework For Performance Measurement In Aircraft Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is governed by rigorous safety requirements and high operational complexity, demanding robust performance measurement frameworks to ensure optimal maintenance practices.
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