Amateur-built Stits Playmate SA-11 accident near Fontana, California, September 27, 2003
On September 27, 2003 at about 11:55 pm local time, a amateur-built Stits Playmate SA-11, registered N9YC, was destroyed in an accident near Fontana, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of engine power due to oil starvation that was the result of misaligned main bearing halves that obstructed the oil galley passages. Since the history of the engine could not be reconstructed, the person or entity responsible for the bearing misalignment could not be determined. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering for a forced landing that resulted in a stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2003 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Fontana, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Stits Playmate SA-11
- Registration
- N9YC · registry record · serial 162
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The engine lost power during cruise and the airplane entered into a spin to ground impact in a nose down attitude. Multiple witnesses heard the engine sputter and lose power, and then lost sight of the airplane as it crested a mountain. Other witnesses located nearby reported that they saw the airplane enter a spin while turning sharply and then impact the ground in a nose down attitude. A post impact fire consumed the airplane. The accident pilot, who was also the airplane owner, purchased the airplane about a year prior to the accident. He removed the engine and took it to a repair facility for inspection after experiencing overheating problems. The repair facility produced documents showing that they performed an inspection, disassembly, and repair of the engine in March 2002. A review of the airframe and engine logbooks revealed that the engine recorded as installed in the airplane was not what investigators found installed on the airplane. By serial number, the engine found on the airplane was the one that the repair facility had worked on. Beyond the work performed by the repair facility, the history of the engine is unknown. During the post accident engine examination, investigators noted signatures consistent with oil starvation. The connecting rods were rust colored and the crankshaft journals were thermally damaged and blue in color, with a bronze/copper color transfer. The forward main bearing halves were also coated with a bronze/copper coloration, and were not aligned with their respective oil galley passageways. Since the engine repair in March 2002, the engine was estimated to have accrued 54.33 hours of total time. According to the Federal Aviation Regulations Title 14 CFR 43.1, and 91.409, the maintenance and inspection requirements of these regulations do not apply to aircraft certificated in the experimental category.
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: 289 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 554.7 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 1, 2003; 18 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin Sport 4 B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RIR Riverside/Rubid CA
- Destination: RAL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from ONT, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.