Amateur-built SX accident near Fremont, California, March 19, 1985
On March 19, 1985, a amateur-built SX, registered N2297, was destroyed in an accident near Fremont, California (Fremont airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 1985
- Place
- Fremont, California · Fremont · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SX
- Registration
- N2297 · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING LEASED TO THE ATR PLT BY THE REGISTERED OWNER. THIS WAS THE PLT'S FIRST FLT IN THE ACFT. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE FOR CARBURETOR ICING. JUST PRIOR TO TAKEOFF THE OWNER ADVISED THE PLT THAT THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A LOW PRESSURE CARBURETOR WHICH WAS VERY SUSEPTIBLE TO ICING. THE PLT REPORTED HE HAD A ROUGH RUNNING ENG, DECLARED AN EMERG, & SAID HE WAS RETURNING TO THE ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY HE REPORTED THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO PUT IT IN SHORT. WITNESSES SAID THE ENG WAS SPUTTERING, POPPING, & CUTTING OUT JUST BEFORE IT QUIT. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A LEFT BANK, LOST ALT, CRASHED & BURNED. FINAL DESCENT ANGLE WAS AT LEAST 60 DEGREES. NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WERE FOUND WITH THE ENG, OR ANY OF ITS COMPONENTS, DURING ENG DISADSEMBLY.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1985; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,765 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HWD Hayward CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,200 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.