Unknown SUPERCAT UNREG

Summary

On 17 September 2008 at about 06:20 local time, a Unknown SUPERCAT registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Redding, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 September 2008 at 06:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Redding, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

40.6061, -94.3869

Aircraft

Unknown SUPERCAT

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Joseph → Eagle Grove

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI08CA290

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to properly manage the fuel supply of the airplane which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the hilly terrain encountered during the subsequent forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had recently been purchased by the pilot and was being flown to his hometown airport. During the flight, the airplane's engine lost power and the pilot executed a forced landing in a rolling hay field which resulted in the airplane sustaining substantial damage. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tank had ruptured during the impact, however, further examination revealed no fuel remaining in the fuel lines or in the carburetor bowl. The pilot was issued a student pilot certificate and third class medical certificate on June 12, 2002. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records showed no further pilot or medical certificates issued to the pilot. The airplane was not registered and did not have an airworthiness certificate issued by the FAA. According to published data, a typical airplane of the same model has an empty weight of 325 pounds. The maximum legal empty weight limit for ultralight airplanes is 254 pounds. The pilot reported that he was unaware that the airplane was not an ultralight until after he had purchased it. He reported that "the people at the field told me I could fly 60 min[utes] plus 1 gal[lon]. It didn't."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.