Stearman N2S 3 accident near Jacksonville, Arkansas, July 22, 2020
On July 22, 2020 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1942 Stearman N2S 3, registered N2158P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Jacksonville, Arkansas. It was a banner-towing flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to adequately monitor his fuel quantity during flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2020 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stearman N2S 3 N1, built 1942
- Registration
- N2158P · registry record · serial 75-6861
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Banner-towing flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the accident flight was the second flight of the day towing banners in his bi-plane. On the return leg, the engine lost all power and the pilot landed along a pipeline and impacted a post, which resulted in substantial damage to the upper and lower right wing. The pilot informed a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he may have run out of gas. The inspector drained about 1 quart of fuel from the gascolator and "less than a tablespoon" from the sump drains. There was no evidence of fuel in the fuel tanks. The tanks were not breached and the fuel lines appeared to be intact with no evidence of fuel leaks.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 79AR Jacksonville AR at 8:00 pm
- Destination: 79AR Jacksonville AR
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAA Inspector Statment | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N2158P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.