Amateur-built TM-1 accident near Santa Clarita, California, January 4, 2020
On January 4, 2020 at about 6:09 pm local time, a 2001 amateur-built TM-1, registered N151WR, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Santa Clarita, 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
Engine detonation that resulted in material deformation of the crankcase and led to engine failure and restricted cockpit visibility.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 2020 · about 6:09 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Clarita, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TM-1, built 2001
- Registration
- N151WR · no longer on the register · serial 24
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed for flight in an amateur-built experimental airplane. A few minutes after takeoff, the pilot made a distress call to the airport tower controller stating a loss of engine power and a cockpit visibility issue. A witness observed the airplane maneuvering at a low altitude with smoke trailing from the airplane. Subsequently, the airplane struck a tree and impacted terrain in a grassy field located in the median of an interstate’s off-ramp, destroying the airplane. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed damage that was consistent with detonation. One cylinder had material deformation that had burnt through the crankcase. Other cylinders had varying degrees of material deformation on their piston faces and cylinder heads, and the piston faces, and cylinder heads were absent of any carbon buildup. During the forced landing, the hole in the crankcase would have leaked coolant and oil, creating smoke and limiting the visibility from the cockpit, which likely would have prevented the pilot from seeing and avoiding the tree. The specific reason for the detonation could not be determined.
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 defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Task environment › Physical workspace › Visibility › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Malfunction
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Falconer V12 liquid co (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 5:56 pm
- Destination: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from KVNY, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on November 10, 2021. 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 | Weather | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Route of Flight | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Email | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Accident Site Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Engine Examination Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Report | 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.
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.