- Date
- May 31, 2026, 16:28 local (21:28 UTC)
- Place
- Sheridan, AR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N23RAEaa Acro Sport II
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260531007499A
- Case key
- 203103
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight at 1,500 ft mean sea level (msl), the engine lost power and the pilot observed a low fuel pressure indication. He engaged the manual fuel pump, and engine power was briefly restored. He turned the airplane back toward the departure airport, but the engine power remained unreliable. The pilot selected a highway for an emergency landing and landed as close to the right side of the westbound lane as practical to maintain separation from vehicular traffic. During the landing rollout, the right wing struck a road sign which pulled the airplane sharply to the right. The main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in a ditch. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The airplane was examined after the accident. The fuel tanks were intact and no fuel was present. The pilot reported that he checked his fuel totalizer before the flight but was distracted by a conversation and did not verify the fuel quantity visually. He reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23RA
- Reported as
- Eaa Acro Sport II
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 107
- Built
- 1989
- Airframe hours
- 308
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 9M8 · Sheridan-Grant County Regional Airport
- Equipment
- None
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 109 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- KHOT, 38 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KHOT 312053Z AUTO 21005KT 10SM FEW044 34/23 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP123 T03440228 56016=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.