- Date
- May 9, 1991, 13:42 local (17:42 UTC)
- Place
- Ionia, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N188BGGildersleeve RV-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910509014889A
- Case key
- 14830
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
Remedial action not performed by the pilot and the pilot's failure to assure the fuel selector was on the proper tank.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot of a single engine homebuilt stated he was at a cruise altitude of 3000 feet MSL when his engine quit running. He stated he switched on the fuel boost pump but saw only '0' fuel pressure. He stated he was within 2 miles of his destination airport and began an attempted dead stick landing glide. As the airplane neared the airport he realized he would not clear obstacles in his glidepath. He stated he decided to land in a wheat field. During an interview with police a witness stated he saw the airplane 'coming in nose first' and that 'at the last minute it pulled its nose up and hit belly first.' An on-scene investigation revealed the left fuel tank empty and the fuel tank selector valve on the left tank. The right fuel tank was found full.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N188BG
- Reported as
- Gildersleeve RV-4
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1032
- Airframe hours
- 133
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jud M. Gildersleeve
- Registered owner
- Jud M. Gildersleeve
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1991 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- 08C · Jenison, MI
- Destination
- 9D9 · Hastings, MI
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 236 total · 152 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.