Amateur-built SD3-30 incident near Moline, Illinois, March 21, 1984
On March 21, 1984 at about 11:15 pm local time, a amateur-built SD3-30, registered N333MV, was involved in an incident near Moline, Illinois (Quad City airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 19 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1984 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Moline, Illinois · Quad City · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 19 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SD3-30
- Registration
- N333MV · registry record · serial SH3049
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN APCH, THE RIGHT ENG LOST POWER, BUT AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING WAS MADE. AN EXAM REVEALED THE AFT FUEL TANK, CONSISTING OF THE #3 & #4 FUEL CELLS, WERE EMPTY, ALTHOUGH THE FUEL QUANTITY GAGE INDICATED 500 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING. THE ERRONEOUS READING WAS TRACED TO THE FUEL PROBE CANNON PLUG, PN 1-332-1, WHICH WAS SOAKED WITH DEICE FLUID/GLYCOL.
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: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 22,600 lb
- Seats: 30
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-45R (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CID Cedar Rapids IA at 10:45 pm
- Destination: MLI Moline IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 6,505 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from MLI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 16 |
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.