Navion A accident near Utica, Nebraska, September 9, 1999
On September 9, 1999 at about 10:36 pm local time, a Navion A, registered N4527K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Utica, Nebraska. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the fuel pump and the misjudged touchdown point by the pilot. A factor was the high vegetation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1999 · about 10:36 pm local time
- Place
- Utica, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Navion A
- Registration
- N4527K · no longer on the register · serial NAV-4-1527
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said, '... at 4,500 feet, the engine died suddenly and completely. I immediately turned on [the] boost pump, which did no good. I then, turned back 180 degrees and headed for NE23 (Utica, NE) which we had just passed. I notified Lincoln App [approach] of our problem and that re-start procedures didn't work.' The pilot then said, 'I thought I was set up to touch down halfway down the runway, let [the] gear down, got three lights, and then pumped down the rest of the flaps.' The pilot said that he touched down approximately 150 feet from the end of the runway and on rollout the landing gear collapsed due to the presence of '...five feet tall fireweeds.' During a post accident examination of the airplane, the engine driven fuel pump drive pin was found to be sheared. No other preexisting anomalies were found with respect to the aircraft or it's systems
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: 600 hours in all; 352 in this make and model; 500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,638 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1999; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNK Lincoln NE at 10:10 pm
- Destination: EAR Kearney NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from LNK, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.