Amateur-built LLC accident near Tipton, California, May 7, 2004
On May 7, 2004 at about 8:20 pm local time, a amateur-built LLC, registered N724TL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tipton, California (Mefford Field). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of air migrating into the fuel control unit. The ultimate reason for the air entry into the fuel control unit was not determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2004 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Tipton, California · Mefford Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LLC
- Registration
- N724TL · no longer on the register · serial 007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single engine experimental airplane collided with terrain after experiencing a loss of engine power. About 1,000 feet above ground level (agl), the pilot selected an area to make a forced landing. He identified some power lines that were in the selected landing area so he diverted the airplane to a highway and landed gear up. To avoid a truck, the pilot veered the plane off the highway and into rough terrain where the wing struck a tree. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector supervised an airframe and engine examination. The engine was a Diemech M601D turboprop. He determined that the airplane had fuel in its fuel tank when it landed. He found air in the engine's fuel control system. Maintenance technicians bled the fuel control and fuel pump. They then completed a test run of the engine without incident. The owner/pilot said that because air was found in the fuel control unit there was a possible design flaw in the way fuel is delivered from the fuel tank to the engine.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,980 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 16,446 as pilot in command; 998 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 29, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 72.8 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 16, 2004; 21.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Diemech Turbines Inc M601D (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KE60 Eloy AZ at 6:20 pm
- Destination: KTLR Mefford CA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 pm from KVIS, 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.
Other NTSB records under N724TL 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.