Amateur-built TATERBUG SB-1 accident near Sawyer, North Dakota, March 22, 1984
On March 22, 1984 at about 11:40 pm local time, a amateur-built TATERBUG SB-1, registered N9026T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sawyer, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 accident. 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 22, 1984 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Sawyer, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TATERBUG SB-1 TATERBUG S
- Registration
- N9026T · no longer on the register · serial 1932
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SWITCHED FROM MAIN TANK TO AUX TANK, & ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER, THE ENG BEGAN LOSING POWER SWITCHING BACK TO THE MAIN TANK DID NOT HELP. THE ENGINE CONTINUED RUNNING BUT AT GREATLY REDUCED POWER. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FROZEN STUBBLE FIELD. THE PLT SAID HE DRAINED ABOUT 3 OUNCES OF WATER OUT OF THE MAIN FUEL STRAINER AFTER THE ACCIDENT. NO FUEL LINES WERE BROKEN AND NO TANKS RUPTURED. INVESTIGATORS FOUND VERY LITTLE FUEL IN THE CARBURETOR AND WHAT WAS FOUND WAS CONTAMINATED WITH DIRT AND DEBRIS. THE PLT SAID THAT THE FUEL HAD BEEN IN THE AUX TANK SINCE LAST FALL AND HE HAD NOT DRAINED THE AUX TANK SUMP PRIOR TO FLYING. THE FUEL USED WAS A COMBINATION OF AVIATION AND AUTOMOTIVE FUEL.
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: 273 hours in all; 91 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 231 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 91 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 2, 1983; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Minot ND at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.