Summers RV4 N131DS

Summary

On 6 August 2000 at about 22:20 local time, a Summers RV4 registered N131DS was involved in an accident near Bismarck, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 August 2000 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Bismarck, North Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Bismark Municipal (BIS)

Coordinates

46.7991, -100.7606

Aircraft

Summers RV4

Registration

N131DS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stevens Point → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00LA246

1 person had minor injuries.

Inadequate preflight planning/preparation by the pilot, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor associated with the accident was the drainage ditch that the airplane contacted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane nosed over during a forced landing. The pilot reported that a loss of engine power occurred after he was cleared to land. He reported he was too far from the runway, so he selected a gravel road on which to make the forced landing. The gravel road dead-ended at an intersection with a paved road. The airplane traveled off the end of the gravel road, crossed the paved road, and contacted a drainage ditch where it nosed over. The pilot reported that the loss of engine power was a result of fuel exhaustion and the accident could have been prevented had he landed earlier for fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.