Amateur-built MUSTANG II accident near Jamul, California, October 4, 2022
On October 4, 2022 at about 7:38 pm local time, a 2020 amateur-built MUSTANG II, registered N887QR, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Jamul, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Impact with mountainous terrain for undetermined reasons due to the limited evidence that could be collected from the accident scene
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2022 · about 7:38 pm local time
- Place
- Jamul, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MUSTANG II, built 2020
- Registration
- N887QR · registry record · serial M-II-2283
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to recorded ADS-B data, the pilot departed from a local airport and maneuvered to the east over mountainous terrain. A witness reported that she saw the airplane fly towards Lyons Peak and heard the engine “sputtering.” Shortly thereafter, the airplane disappeared from her field of view and she heard a loud “bang.” An unsuccessful attempt was made to retrieve the wreckage, which was inaccessible because of the steep, mountainous terrain. Consequently, it was not possible to examine the airframe and engine. The pilot’s toxicological testing detected ethanol. The extent of trauma, delayed recovery of the pilot’s remains, and the presence of n-propanol and n-butanol make it plausible that some or all of the detected ethanol may have been from postmortem production. However, the positive ethanol result in a single specimen is insufficient to exclude the possibility of alcohol consumption or related impairment. Therefore, the investigation was unable to determine whether ethanol effects contributed to the crash. Additionally, the zolpidem, commonly used to treat short-term insomnia, and cyclobenzaprine, commonly used to treat muscle spasms, detected in the pilot’s muscle tissue indicated that he had used these medications. However, the limited extent of the autopsy and lack of specific information about the accident sequence prevented the investigation from determining whether the effects of the pilot’s zolpidem and cyclobenzaprine use contributed to the crash. As reported by friends and family, the pilot was ill during the weeks before the accident. The unknown illness caused him to miss family events and seek medical care. The pilot had a history with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Whether he was acutely ill at the time of the accident is uncertain, and his autopsy was too limited by injury to be useful for assessing possible underlying conditions (including leukemia). Given the pilot’s unknown medical condition at the time of the accident and the inaccessible wreckage, which prevented a postaccident examination, the cause of the accident 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
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSEE El Cajon CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 am from KSEE, 13 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSEE 041847Z 25005KT 10SM FEW016 24/17 A2996
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR23FA007.