Amateur-built D accident near Lincoln, California, October 5, 2014
On October 5, 2014 at about 7:15 pm local time, a 1972 amateur-built D, registered N3RH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Lincoln, California (Lincoln Rgnl/Karl Harder Field). 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 total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, which resulted from debris restricting the fuel flow within the fuel system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2014 · about 7:15 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Lincoln, California · Lincoln Rgnl/Karl Harder Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built D UNDESIGNAT, built 1972 · all Ds on the register
- Registration
- N3RH · registry record · serial REH-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following an uneventful takeoff and straight-out departure, the pilot leveled the airplane about 1,000 ft above ground level, at which point, the engine began to sputter, and it subsequently lost power. The pilot initiated a return to the departure airport; however, due to the low altitude, he initiated a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing, the main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the gascolator screen and fuel outlet port were partially restricted with red, sandlike debris, which would have restricted the fuel flow to the carburetor and led to the loss of engine power.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel filter › strainer › Capability exceeded other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,487 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,487 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 10, 2013
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 484 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 8, 2014; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 632 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C75 (piston); 1,264 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHM Lincoln CA at 7:10 pm
- Destination: LHM Lincoln CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KSMF, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 21, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation (Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation (Mechanic) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1 – View of the Gascolator and Debris. | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 2 – View of the Carburetor Float Bowl and Debris. | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3RH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Corben Baby Ace D 11 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Continental C75 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lincoln Rgnl/Karl Harder Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR15LA003.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.