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WPR23LA131

2023-03-18 · Santa Ynez, California, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KIZA

Current FAA registration · N40635

Make / Model
MAULE M-4-220C
Year of manufacture
1972 · 51 years old at event
Engine
FRANKLIN 6A-350SER (235 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4C5CA

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while in a climb on the left crosswind leg of the airport traffic pattern, the engine stopped producing power. He made a left turn toward the airport, activated the electric fuel pump, and changed the fuel selector valve position from the left-wing fuel tank to the right-wing fuel tank. Despite the pilot’s attempts, the engine would not restart, and the pilot made a forced landing in a vineyard. The pilot stated that he believes he unported the available fuel in the left tank while in the climbing left-hand turn. The left wing and left elevator were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA131.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 (fuel starvation). All research papers