Amateur-built EAGLE 540 accident near Standish, Maine, August 10, 2014
On August 10, 2014 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built EAGLE 540, registered N34BJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Standish, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2014 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Standish, Maine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EAGLE 540, built 2007
- Registration
- N34BJ · registry record · serial BJ-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed on a cross-country flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane with each fuel tank (one main fuel tank, one fuselage auxiliary fuel tank, and one upper wing fuel tank) filled to capacity, for a total of 51 gallons of fuel onboard. About 1 hour 50 minutes into the flight, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot's efforts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, so he maneuvered the airplane toward a road. During the landing, the pilot could not maintain the appropriate airspeed for a power-off landing, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and bottom wing. An examination of the accident site revealed that the fuel tanks had not been breached, and no visible signs of fuel and no fuel odor were observed. The fuel system was designed to plumb fuel from the upper wing tank directly into the main fuel tank through a drain valve; the engine was receiving fuel from the main fuel tank at the time of the engine power loss. During postaccident examination, both the main and the auxiliary fuselage fuel tanks were found void of fuel; the upper wing fuel tank was found almost full. The pilot reported that, at times, the upper wing fuel tank would drain slowly or not at all into the main fuel tank; however, postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that could have precluded normal operation. According to performance data provided by the pilot, the main fuel tank should have had about 7 gallons of fuel remaining at the time of the loss of power without any supplemental fuel from the upper wing tank. The reason for the main fuel tank being devoid of fuel could not be 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,600 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 122 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 7,200 as pilot in command; 4,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 18, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 175 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 2, 2014; 175 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AIO-540-C4B5 (piston); 138 hours total
- Operator: Billy Werth Airshows, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: FVE Frenchville ME at 7:45 pm
- Destination: SFM Sanford ME
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from PWM, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on August 17, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Correspondence | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversations | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Pilot's Fuel Diagram | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Excerpt from Engine Logbook | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 9 | FAA Fuel System and Engine Examination Notes | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 10 | NTSB Fuel Performance Calculations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Cumberland County Sheriff's Office Report | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 12 | Photo 1 - Airplane at Accident Site (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Photo 2 - Airplane at Accident Site (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N34BJ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.