Amateur-built RV3-A accident near Bountiful, Utah, May 21, 1999
On May 21, 1999 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV3-A, registered N4461V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bountiful, Utah. 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 pilot's inadequate preflight planning, and the subsequent fuel exhaustion during the flight. Factor was the airplane's inaccurate fuel gauge.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1999 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bountiful, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV3-A
- Registration
- N4461V · registry record · serial 872
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot recently purchased the airplane, and had accumulated 6 hours of flight experience in the airplane by the time of the accident. The day before the accident, the pilot topped-off the airplane's 24 gallon fuel tank, and flew touch and go landings for 45 minutes. On the day of the accident, he departed Skypark Airport for Brigham City, where he performed two touch and go landings. He then flew to Ogden-Hinckley Municipal Airport where he did a full stop landing. After a 45 minute stop, the pilot continued his flight to Skypark. As he approached the airport, his engine stopped. He said that his fuel gauge 'showed over 1/2,' and an airborne engine restart was unsuccessful. He performed a forced landing, and encountered a ditch during the landing roll. The FAA inspector, that went to the scene and examined the airplane, reported that he found no fuel or the smell of fuel. The total engine run time since the last refueling was not determined.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 342 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 16, 1998
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ODG Ogden UT at 4:45 pm
- Destination: BTF UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 30,000 ft; scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from SLC, 5 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.