Patriot Aircraft LLC CX1900A accident near Centreville, Alabama, August 20, 2025
On August 20, 2025 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 2023 Patriot Aircraft LLC CX1900A, registered N150SP, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Centreville, Alabama (Bibb County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to detect and remove water contamination from the airplane’s fuel system before the flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2025 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Centreville, Alabama · Bibb County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Patriot Aircraft LLC CX1900A, built 2023
- Registration
- N150SP · registry record · serial CX1900A-0001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was also the owner of the experimental amateur-built airplane’s kit manufacturer, was performing a demonstration flight for potential buyers. The pilot reported that after fueling the airplane, a preflight inspection was performed and no anomalies were found; however, he stated that he did not sump the fuel tanks or the low-point drains. The pilot stated that after performing the engine runup and allowing the engine to reach operating temperatures, he performed a normal take off. At around 300 ft above ground level, the pilot reported that the engine began to “cut out,” and the pilot pulled the throttle bringing the engine to idle. He then began a left turn back toward the runway and advanced the throttle; however, the engine lost complete power. The pilot realized that he would not make it back to the runway and performed a forced landing into a wooded area. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had sustained substantial damage to the wings. Examination of the engine found evidence of water in the fuel flow divider. After draining both wing fuel tanks, a significant amount of water was observed in the right wing fuel tank. According to the pilot, there were no fueling services available at the departure airport, and so he would fill barrels with fuel and store the barrels at the airport. According to the individuals who fueled the airplane that morning, when fueling the right fuel tank, they needed to tip the fuel barrel all the way on its side to get the last remaining fuel. Based on this information, it is likely that when the right fuel tank was filled, water that had accumulated in the fuel barrel was poured into the right fuel tank, which was then not drained during the preflight inspection. Subsequently, during takeoff, water likely entered the engine’s fuel system and cylinders, resulting in the reported loss of power.
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
- Aircraft servicing event during prior to flight
- Fuel contamination during prior to flight defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Inadequate inspection
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 425.7 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 24, 2025; 93.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-EXP (piston); 411 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10/2, 4,206 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from TCL, 31 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTCL 201453Z 00000KT 10SM SCT065 30/23 A2995=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N150SP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA315.