Iar SA Brasov 823 accident near Denair, California, September 20, 2004
On September 20, 2004 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Iar SA Brasov 823, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N823WT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denair, California (Turlock Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to verify the fuel quantity on board prior to departure, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power due to an inadequate fuel supply.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2004 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Denair, California · Turlock Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Iar SA Brasov 823, amateur-built
- Registration
- N823WT · registry record · serial 24
- 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 loss of engine power and collided with terrain during a forced landing in a soft, wet field. Prior to departure, the pilot performed a preflight inspection, at which time he visually verified the airplane's fuel quantities by both physically looking inside the wing tanks, and by checking his fuel computer/totalizer inside the cockpit. The pilot did not use a dipstick or other means to physically quantify the fuel on board. He determined that he had a more than adequate amount of fuel for the 1- to 1 1/2-hour flight. While en route, the pilot compared the "fuel remaining time" with the "time en route remaining" on his gauges numerous times. As he came in the proximity of the airport the engine coughed once and subsequently quit. Despite his efforts, the engine would not restart and the pilot made an emergency landing. While descending, the left wing tip contacted the ground first, and the landing gear touched down on the soft wet ground. The pilot drained both fuel tanks and found about 1 gallon of fuel remaining. The pilot opined that 12 gallons of fuel was siphoned from the airplane prior to departure. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had used a fuel quantity dipstick. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions of failures with the airplane prior to impact.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. 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 LAX04CA326.