Amateur-built SEA HAWKER accident near Yucca Valley, California, June 6, 1999
On June 6, 1999 at about 9:49 pm local time, a amateur-built SEA HAWKER, registered N2485, was destroyed in an accident near Yucca Valley, California. 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
A loss of control in flight for undetermined reasons that resulted in an in flight collision with terrain. A factor was turbulent weather conditions in mountainous/hilly terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1999 · about 9:49 pm local time
- Place
- Yucca Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SEA HAWKER
- Registration
- N2485 · no longer on the register · serial 138
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner/builder/pilot of a homebuilt experimental amphibian departed for a personal cross-country flight. About 32 minutes after departure the airplane was observed by witnesses flying north along a ridgeline in a desert area. The airplane made a sudden tight turn to the left and descended into the ground. A postaccident fire consumed the airframe and all engine accessories. One of four carbon fiber propeller blades was found separated from the propeller hub and free of impact damage. The other three blades were fire damaged. A detailed examination of the engine did not reveal any mechanical failure. A sheriff's helicopter pilot reported 'very turbulent and very rough' air above 100 feet agl. The density altitude was about 6,180 feet msl.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HMT Hemet CA at 9:17 pm
- Destination: UNK Park City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from PSP, 16 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.