Amateur-built Coyote accident near Jamul, California, July 23, 2020
On July 23, 2020 at about 2:15 am local time, a amateur-built Coyote, registered N125MC, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Jamul, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to an obstructed fuel line and fuel starvation, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with a fence. Contributing to the accident was the long duration of aircraft storage that allowed for contaminants to develop and the design of the fuel system that did not include filtration.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2020 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Jamul, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Coyote
- Registration
- N125MC · registry record · serial 1001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger flew a local flight, landed, and refueled the airplane. After refueling, they departed and, shortly into the airplane’s climb, encountered various fluctuations in power before the engine lost all power. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane impacted a fence, which resulted in a collapse of the left main landing gear and substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an obstruction in the fuel line from the airplane’s header tank to the engine. At the time of disassembly, the fitting was completely obstructed with brown/red deposits derived from old/evaporated fuel. The fuel type was not determined. The fuel tanks were not equipped with fuel screens and the header tank did not contain any filter or fuel sump to collect these remnants. This evidence suggests that dried fuel in the wing tanks likely formed the blockage in the fuel fitting when the airplane was operated following 14 years of inactivity, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total 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) defining event
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Not inspected
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Failure
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 347 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 6.1 in the last 90 days; 2.3 in the last 30 days; 287 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 26, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 331.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 2019; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 2,123 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0CL3 Chula Vista CA at 1:45 am
- Destination: SDM San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from SDM, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on June 29, 2022. 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 | NTSB Materials Laboratory Chemical Composition Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Written Statement, Pilot-rated Passenger and Airplane Owner | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversations | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Aircraft Logbook Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Accident Airplane Phase 2 Operating Limitations | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | 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.