Amateur-built Highlander accident near Waller, Texas, August 14, 2021
On August 14, 2021 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2010 amateur-built Highlander, registered N100GH, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Waller, Texas (Dry Creek Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2021 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Waller, Texas · Dry Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Highlander, built 2010
- Registration
- N100GH · registry record · serial JA186-08-09
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight, about 800 ft above ground level, the engine began to surge and lost power. In an effort to restore power, the pilot turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, but the engine did not restart. During a forced landing to a dirt road, the airplane touched down short of the road in a corn field, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The engine was subsequently removed for repair and the airplane was disassembled before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) could conduct a detailed examination. When asked if the engine repair facility determined a cause for the loss of engine power, the pilot stated “No, the reason was lack of fuel in one tank which made the engine lose power and start surging.” The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Loss of engine power (partial) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 1,720 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 24, 2020
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,730 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914UL (piston); 429 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TS07 Cypress TX at 6:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18 /, 3,580 ft by 73 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from KDWH, 17 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KDWH 171950Z AUTO 16002KT 10SM FEW055 FEW079 33/23 A2987 RMK T03300230 VRB03KT MADISHF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN21LA375.