Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Grafton, Illinois, September 9, 2005
On September 9, 2005 at about 6:50 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-4, registered N9120Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grafton, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to contamination of the fuel system, gascolator and carburetor inlet screen. A factor to the accident was the soybean crop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2005 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Grafton, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4
- Registration
- N9120Q · registry record · serial 2278
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported the engine "started missing" and eventually "went dead" during cruise flight. The pilot stated that he switched fuel tanks, checked the magnetos, and applied carburetor heat to no avail. The pilot stated that he performed a forced landing into a soybean field and nosed over during the landing rollout. The engine was test run during a post-accident examination. The engine started and ran at idle for a period of five minutes with no anomalies. The engine subsequently ran at 2,100 rpm with no anomalies. The gascolator and carburetor inlet screen were contaminated with fragments of a red fabric-like substance. The red fragments were similar to a shop-cloth or scotch-brite abrasion pad.
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: 3,300 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 369.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2004; 86.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVX Batesville AR at 5:00 pm
- Destination: SQI Rock Falls IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from SET, 3 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.