Amateur-built VARI EZE accident near Kelso Valley, California, August 9, 2020
On August 9, 2020 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1984 amateur-built VARI EZE, registered N2ZE, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Kelso Valley, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to secure the fuel cap, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2020 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kelso Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARI EZE No Series, built 1984
- Registration
- N2ZE · no longer on the register · serial 522
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed with 16 gallons of fuel (about 3 hours of flight time) on board for the local flight. About one hour after the departure, the engine experienced a loss of engine power. He switched the fuel selector from the wing tank position to the center tank position, and the engine regained power for 30 seconds before it lost power again. The pilot manipulated the fuel selector two more times only to experience an additional 20 seconds of regained engine power. The pilot then executed an emergency landing during which the fuselage was substantially damaged. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the left-wing fuel cap was not secured to the fuel tank and both wing fuel tanks were empty. The pilot’s failure to secure the left wing fuel cap likely created a leak in the fuel system which would have exhausted the fuel supply sooner than the pilot planned for and resulted in a loss of 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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll)
- Fuel related during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,156 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 270 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 15, 2020
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L71 California City CA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: L71 California City CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:50 pm from L71, 40 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
4 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Email | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Findings | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Mfr Wreckage Release | 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.