Skip to content

WPR20CA132

2020-04-27 · Upland, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CCB

Current FAA registration · N1222C

Make / Model
SONEX AIRCRAFT SONEX
Year of manufacture
2016 · 4 years old at event
Engine
JABIRU 3300 (120 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20160416
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A05DC1

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

A gradual loss of engine power during takeoff due to the pressure regulator not keeping continuous fuel pressure which led to a precautionary off airport landing and collision with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he returned from a local flight and was practicing touch-and-go landings. During the second takeoff, as the airplane gained altitude, the engine began to gradually lose power. Unable to return to the runway, the pilot initiated a precautionary landing to a strip of gravel that is perpendicular to the runway. During the landing, the right wing was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that he did not believe there was problem with the engine, but that the problem was with the fuel-to-air mixture caused by the fuel pressure regulator not keeping a continuous constant pressure that led to the gradual loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he returned from a local flight and was practicing touch-and-go landings. During the second takeoff, as the airplane gained altitude, the engine began to gradually lose power. Unable to return to the runway, the pilot initiated a precautionary landing to a strip of gravel that is perpendicular to the runway. During the landing, the right wing was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that he did not believe there was problem with the engine, but that the problem was with the fuel-to-air mixture caused by the fuel pressure regulator not keeping a continuous constant pressure that led to the gradual loss of engine power.     Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine fuel and control-Fuel pressure indicating-Damaged/degraded - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Not specified

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_WPR20CA132.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (icing). All research papers