Amateur-built Kolb Sling Shot accident near Goodview, Minnesota, July 24, 2001
On July 24, 2001 at about 6:46 pm local time, a amateur-built Kolb Sling Shot, registered N56CV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goodview, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation caused by a blocked, unsecured, fuel vent line. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the forced landing which resulted in an inadvertent stall at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2001 · about 6:46 pm local time
- Place
- Goodview, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kolb Sling Shot
- Registration
- N56CV · registry record · serial SS-00-1-00025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported hearing the airplane's engine quit operating and observed the airplane gliding towards an open field. The witnesses stated the airplane entered a steep turn, stalled, and impacted the terrain. Witnesses who responded to the accident site reported there was fuel present in all three fuel tanks. No anomalies were found with the flight control systems that could be associated with any pre-impact condition. The fuel system was modified from the kit-supplied construction drawings. The two main fuel tanks were vented through their handles using flexible tubing. The two vent lines initiating from the tank handles combined at a T-fitting and a single flexible vent line was run from the fitting down between the fuel tanks. The terminating end of the vent line was cut perpendicular to the line and the vent line was not secured. The two main fuel tanks were mounted on a metal tray lined with a flexible neoprene pad. The unsecured vent line was able to move along the bottom of the tray and make contact with the neoprene liner. The engine was mounted on a test stand and was configured with the original aircraft's fuel filter, fuel pump, gascolator, and pulse pump. The engine started without any anomalies. The engine developed full power at 6,500 rpm during the full throttle test. Both ignition systems functioned without any anomalies. No anomalies were found with the engine or its related systems that could be associated with any pre-impact condition.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 269 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 236 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 14, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 53.6 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 22, 2000; 49.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKT Mankato MN
- Destination: ONA Winona MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 6:37 pm from ONA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.