Amateur-built Murphy Moose accident near St. Francis, Kansas, June 10, 2006
On June 10, 2006 at about 3:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Murphy Moose, registered N142SR, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Francis, Kansas (Cheyenne County Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to open the fuel selector valve, resulting in fuel starvation. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to use a checklist, his attention being diverted, and the fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2006 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Francis, Kansas · Cheyenne County Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Murphy Moose
- Registration
- N142SR · registry record · serial 142SR
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that shortly after taking off, the engine lost all power. He continued flying straight ahead and made an off-airport landing. The airplane struck a barbed wire fence and nosed over. The pilot said that after landing earlier that morning, he had closed the fuel valve (because he had a small leak in one of the fuel tanks) and he forgot to turn it back on prior to the accident flight. He said he had been distracted several times and failed to use the checklist. Both wing caps and the vertical stabilizer were crushed, and the fuselage was buckled.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 855 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 762 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 280 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Yakovlev M-14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SYF St. Francis KS at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 18V Hudson CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31R, 2,833 ft by 180 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from GLD, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.