Amateur-built Lancair Legacy accident near Groveland, California, August 14, 2005
On August 14, 2005 at about 2:40 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair Legacy, registered N508DB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Groveland, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inaccurate fuel quantity sensors and the pilot's failure to verify the fuel quantity on board prior to takeoff, 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
- August 14, 2005 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Groveland, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair Legacy
- Registration
- N508DB · registry record · serial L2K-198
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following fuel exhaustion in cruise flight, the pilot made a forced landing in an open field. The pilot elected to land with the landing gear retracted. The airplane was substantially damaged as it slid to a stop and hit a fence. The pilot said that prior to takeoff he believed he had 18 gallons of fuel onboard for the trip that he calculated would require 8 gallons. Upon his examination of the airplane the pilot noted that the fuel quantity sensors were improperly calibrated. The pilot reported that he did not experience any malfunction or failure with his airplane.
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: 722 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 529 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 110 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2005; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 2:15 pm
- Destination: E45 Groveland CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from MCE, 35 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.
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.