# NTSB WPR26LA191: Bigham Jack L Marquart M 5 Charger, N987JB, Tucson, AZ, May 15, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: May 15, 2026, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place: Tucson, AZ
- Coordinates: 32.192358, -110.97894 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.1924&lon=-110.9789&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 1 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: Federal Aviation Administration
- NTSB case key (mKey): 203004
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26LA191
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/203004/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA191

## Preliminary report

On May 15, 2026, about 1500 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur built Marquart M5 Charger was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal fight. The pilot reported that prior to departing, he checked the fuel quantity indicator and observed about 14 gallons of fuel. He estimated that it would provide one hour of useable fuel. The pilot departed and noticed a “heavy smell of rubber” and no smoke. The rubber smell then went away. The pilot reported that while he was about 1,000 ft above ground level the engine lost all power. The propeller continued to spin and he switched the electric fuel pump on. The pilot elected to land on a road where he performed a wheel landing; however, a vehicle was in front of the airplane so the pilot elected to turn away from the road and the vehicle, which resulted in the airplane impacting a pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. After exiting the airplane, the pilot reported that he saw a stream of fuel coming from behind the engine that lasted for about 15 seconds. The airplane was recovered to the pilot’s private hangar for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Bigham Jack L MARQUART M 5 CHARGER, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=056559W), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N987JB](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N987JB), registered now, S/N 987JB (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BIGHAM JACK L MARQUART M 5 CHARGER
- Registry model: [Bigham Jack L MARQUART M 5 CHARGER](https://openairdocs.org/model/bigham-jack-l-marquart-m-5-charger) (registry code 056559W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 987JB
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Operator: Cassill Aircraft Leasing Inc
- Registered owner: Cassill Aircraft Leasing Inc
- Departed: P19, Chandler, AZ
- Destination: TUS, Tucson, AZ
- Airport: KTUS

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20260515005099A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260515005099A), May 15, 2026: Bigham Jack L MARQUART M 5 CHARGER, Tucson, AZ, Substantial damage. The aircraft crashed into a utility pole after making an emergency landing on a street in Tucson, AZ, just outside of tus airport. The collision with the pole…

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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