Amateur-built Lancair 320 accident near Los Angeles, California, April 3, 2007
On April 3, 2007, a amateur-built Lancair 320, registered N320, was substantially damaged in an accident near Los Angeles, California (Whiteman airport). 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
contamination of the number 2 fuel injector nozzle that lead to a partial loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 2007
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Whiteman · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair 320
- Registration
- N320 · registry record · serial 504-320-242FB
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with a fence during a rejected takeoff following a partial loss of engine power. The pilot reported that after the airplane lifted off the ground, he retracted the landing gear. Just abeam the tower, he felt a "jolt/engine burp," and noted that he was about 100 feet above the ground. He reduced the power, but was not able to lower the landing gear prior to the airplane touching down on the remaining runway. The airplane slid down the runway, and came to a stop after impacting the airport perimeter fence. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector examined the engine following the accident and noted that the number 2 fuel injection nozzle was clogged with unidentified debris that would crumble when touched. Inspection of the number 2 cylinder combustion chamber revealed a white coloration on the cylinder walls consistent with a lean fuel condition. No anomalies were noted with the remaining fuel injection nozzles and the other cylinders' combustion chambers.
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: 1,380 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 521.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 1, 2007; 20.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WHP Los Angeles CA
- Destination: WHP Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,120 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
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.