- Date
- July 22, 1998, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Yelm, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N43JWWiles S1-C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980722025989A
- Case key
- 43897
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
Fuel exhaustion due to overflying an intermediate fuel stop. Factors include high grass in the forced landing area.
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 stated to FAA inspectors that he ran out of fuel while on a cross-country flight and he initiated a forced landing into a field about a mile from his final destination. He noted that he had approximately 12 gallons of fuel on board when he departed, and that he had overflown a planned intermediate stop. When he realized he would have to make an off-airport landing, he selected a hay field about a mile north of the airport, touched down and got into some tall grass. The airplane nosed over onto its back, sustaining substantial damage.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 1998, approximately 1230 Pacific daylight time, an amateur-built Wiles Pitts S1-C, N43JW, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Yelm, Washington, after fuel exhaustion. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. There was no fire.
The pilot stated to FAA inspectors that he ran out of fuel while on a flight from Arlington, Washington, and he initiated a forced landing into a field about a mile from Western Airpark, which was his final destination. He noted that he had approximately 12 gallons of fuel on board when he departed Arlington, and that he had overflown Auburn, Washington, where he had originally intended to land. When he realized he would have to make an off-airport landing, he selected a hay field about a mile north of the airport, touched down and got into some tall grass. The airplane nosed over onto its back.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43JW
- Reported as
- Wiles S1-C
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- JW-1
- Airframe hours
- 634
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David R. Huntley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1997 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- Arlington, WA
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 140 in this make and model · 1,300 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.