- Date
- October 4, 1990, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Death Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3934Melton MMI
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901004044099A
- Case key
- 26956
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 inaccurate calculation of fuel consumption and his decision to continue the flight with a malfunctioning fuel quantity indicator.
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 homebuilt airplane collided with a dirt embankment after making an emerency landing in the desert. The pilot stated the aircraft fuel capacity is 14 gallons and subsequent to takeoff the direct reading fuel quantity indicator did not indicate properly. Toward the end of the flight the gauge started decreasing rapidly and was inaccurate. The aircraft was airborne for over four hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3934
- Reported as
- Melton MMI
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 207
- Engine
- Continental 200 CU. IN., 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Norval A. Ferguson
- Registered owner
- Ferguson, Norval
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- RGB · Roseburg, OR
- Destination
- Furnace Creek, CA
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 50 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.