Amateur-built Team 1400Z accident near Woodland, California, November 27, 2002
On November 27, 2002 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Team 1400Z, registered N9190U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Woodland, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the builder/pilot's improper modification of wing fuel caps resulting in the failure of the vent system to adequately compensate for the pressure differential between the fuel tank and the external low pressure area of the wing. This led to the partial loss of engine power in cruise flight due to fuel starvation, and a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 2002 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Woodland, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Team 1400Z
- Registration
- N9190U · registry record · serial 1670T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power and collided with a ditch during a forced landing. About 800 feet above ground level (agl), the engine experienced a partial loss of engine power and was unable to sustain level flight. With a field below the airplane, the pilot initiated a sharp descent in an effort to make a forced landing. Upon touchdown, he stalled the airplane just before reaching an irrigation ditch. The wood reinforced plywood body of the airplane sustained damage upon impact. After the accident, the pilot conducted an examination of the airplane; he found no mechanical anomalies with the engine or airframe. He noted that prior to the accident flight he had installed new vented wing fuel caps, which were located in a negative pressure area of the wing. He opined that the low pressure area created a vacuum in the gravity fed fuel tank, restricting fuel flow to the engine, which resulted in a partial 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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 20 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O41 Woodland CA at 5:50 pm
- Destination: 2Q3 Davis CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from SAC, 13 miles away
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 N9190U 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.