Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Rockville, Indiana 47872
Saturday, August 21, 2004 13:30 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The experimental amateur-built airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain during a forced landing at a private airstrip following an in-flight loss of engine power. The pilot and passenger were hospitalized with serious injuries. The pilot's accident report stated, "I flew a 3-4 hundred foot pass down runway (W to E) at a fairly low power setting to assess the strip and its condition. As I started a [right hand] turn to go west so that I could go back to land east, the engine quit (it windmilled). ... I turned sharply west to at least land in cornfield [and] possibly runway. ... [The airplane] was settling, however and [left] gear drug thru top of 75' tree slowing me considerably. [The airplane] hit corn slightly nose down in flat attitude." Concerning the loss of engine power, the pilot stated, "Engine quit - fuel starvation, I feel caused by unporting fuel pickups." The pilot's safety recommendation was, "Fuel system need to be reevaluated, possibly rerouting fuel lines from tanks, adding a fuel pump (gravity fed) and/or more fuel pickup points. [Approximately] 12 gal. of fuel showed on fuel sight [glasses] at time engine quit."
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The fuel starvation encountered due to the builder's inadequate fuel system design and the subsequent loss of engine power during a maneuver for the landing approach. Factors were the tree and corn.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/21/2004 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1330 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | Rockville |
| Event State | INDIANA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 47872 |
| Event Date Year | 2004 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 394730N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0871121W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PVT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1353 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 190 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | HUF |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 589 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 30 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 4400 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Few |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 24 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.06 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 2 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 17121 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 22 2004 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 909 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 27 2005 3:52PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Indianapolis, IN, FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N25MF |
| NTSB Number | CHI04LA245 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Fall |
| Aircraft Model | Cub |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 5 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2200 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 17 2004 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Martin Kenric Fall |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1215 South Franklin Road |
| Aircraft Owner City | Indianapolis |
| Aircraft Owner State | IN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 46239 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 7L8 |
| Departure City | INDIANAPOLIS |
| Departure State | IN |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1300 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | Rockville |
| Destination State | IN |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | -- |
| User who most recently changed record | -- |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 27 |
| Runway Length | 1800 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |