Amateur-built JA30 SUPERSTOL accident near Ponca City, Oklahoma, July 2, 2017
On July 2, 2017 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 2017 amateur-built JA30 SUPERSTOL, registered N2463H, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Ponca City, Oklahoma (Personal Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Contamination of the fuel system, resulting in a partial loss of engine power and subsequent off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2017 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ponca City, Oklahoma · Personal Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JA30 SUPERSTOL NO SERIES, built 2017
- Registration
- N2463H · no longer on the register · serial JA483-1-16
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a local flight in an experimental airplane. During takeoff, the pilot thought that the airplane's performance was sluggish. The pilot indicated that the airplane started to lose lift, so he reduced the control stick input. He maneuvered the airplane around trees, but the airplane continued to descend, so the pilot decided to land. The airplane made a hard landing, causing the airplane's landing gear to collapse because it was sideloaded, and the airplane then skidded into a tree. During a postaccident examination, a repair station noted contamination in one of the fuel jets and both carburetors. After replacing the fuel jet and cleaning the carburetors, the engine produced normal power. The cause of the contamination could not be determined.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel contamination during takeoff defining event
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel injector nozzle › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Damaged/degraded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 877 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days; 877 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 2, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 56.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 12, 2017; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914 UL2-01 (piston); 70 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRIV Ponca City OK
- Destination: PRIV Ponca City OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 170, 1,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PNC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 29, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Mechanic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.