Amateur-built LSX accident near Lago Vista, Texas, October 23, 2022
On October 23, 2022 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built LSX, registered N17TS, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Lago Vista, Texas (Lago Vista Tx - Rusty Allen airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and improper in-flight decision making which resulted in a low fuel status and a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 2022 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lago Vista, Texas · Lago Vista Tx - Rusty Allen · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LSX, built 2013
- Registration
- N17TS · registry record · serial 1LK539C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a final approach for the runway, the pilot reported that the engine sputtered momentarily and then stopped running. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. Unable to make it to the runway, he performed a forced landing into dense trees and the airplane collided with terrain. The fuselage and left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that after the accident he drained about 3 gallons of fuel from the fuel tank. However, the airplane was not examined until three days after the accident occurred, so this could not be verified. Three gallons of fuel in the tank would have placed the fuel just above the fuel inlet on the fuel tank. The flight time for the flight was estimated over 3 hours and 30 minutes, not including a flight the day before the accident. The airplane would have consumed over 17.5 gallons of fuel from the estimated 25-gallon fuel tank on the day of the accident based on an estimated fuel burn rate of 5 gallons per hour. After the accident, fuel was added, and the engine started without hesitation and ran at various power settings without any anomalies. It is likely that the low fuel state unported the fuel from the fuel inlet which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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 starvation during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,481 hours in all; 623 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 1,315 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 23, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 16, 2022; 600 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,430 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS2 (piston); 690 hours total
- Operator: Boat Plane LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 7TA7 Reklaw TX at 2:00 pm
- Destination: RYW Lago Vista TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KRYW, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRYW 231755Z AUTO 19015G21KT 10SM SCT044 27/16 A2990 RMK AO2 T02670156 10269 20206=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on March 28, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array CEN23LA018 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Flight ADS-B Track Map | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | ADS-B Raw Data - Kml File | map file | Download |
| 5 | ADS-B Raw Data - Excel Table | spreadsheet | Download |
| 6 | Memorandum for Record A�� FAA Email Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Memorandum for Record Engine Examination Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Memorandum for Record A�� Fuel Tank | PDF, 3 pages | 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.