Interavia E-3 accident near Watsonville, California, July 9, 2000
On July 9, 2000 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Interavia E-3, registered N4426X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watsonville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the total loss of engine power due to the pilot's inaccurate fuel consumption calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2000 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Watsonville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Interavia E-3
- Registration
- N4426X · no longer on the register · serial 02-06
- 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 flying his experimental single engine airplane after performing maintenance, when the engine lost power after 40 minutes of operation. According to the pilot's written statement, he "checked and measured" the gas in the fuel tanks after performing maintenance on the airplane. He calculated that he had 20 gallons of fuel on board, or 40 minutes of endurance at 100 percent power or 1 hour of endurance at 70 percent power. He started the engine at 1450 and departed at 1500. He reported that he set the power at 70 percent for the flight. The engine quit as the pilot was turning back toward the airport. He checked the fuel gauges and reported that they indicated 5 gallons in each fuel tank. He pumped the fuel pump and the engine started, ran for approximately 30 seconds, and lost power again. The pilot reported that he could not restart the engine. He elected to land in a cow pasture on the side of mountainous terrain. While attempting to land over a fence and trees, the left wing touched down, slewing the plane off course. The left main landing gear separated from the left wing and the wing sustained structural damage. In his statement, the pilot noted that he should have operated the airplane by fuel time, not the gauges.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,224 hours in all; 34 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,129 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 11, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 56 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2000; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,365 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown M14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KWVI Watsonville CA at 7:00 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 10:32 pm from WVI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N4426X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.