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Accidents · NTSB ERA19LA158 · Final report

Amateur-built SUPER ACRO SPORT I accident near Elberton, Georgia, April 25, 2019

On April 25, 2019 at about 5:58 pm local time, a 1992 amateur-built SUPER ACRO SPORT I, registered N20FB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Elberton, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 25, 2019 · about 5:58 pm local time
Place
Elberton, Georgia · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Amateur-built SUPER ACRO SPORT I No Series, built 1992
Registration
N20FB · no longer on the register · serial P S AIRCRAFT 1
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot had just purchased the airplane and the accident flight was his first in it. Before the flight, the previous owner explained to the pilot that the main fuel tank was full of fuel and that the auxiliary tank contained no fuel. The pilot acknowledged the fuel state of the airplane and told the seller he "would not need" auxiliary fuel. Following an aborted takeoff attempt, the pilot departed for his home airport. The pilot advised first responders that during the flight, his “fuel quit working so he tried to prime it for his backup fuel to work.” When that did not remedy the problem, he prepared the airplane for a forced landing and subsequently impacted trees. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing and the pilot was seriously injured. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane at the accident site found that only a “very small amount” of fuel remained in the main fuel tank after the accident. The estimated fuel endurance of the airplane based on the fuel reported to be onboard at the time the pilot departed, and the estimated fuel consumption reported by the previous owner, was about 2.1 hours. The time elapsed between when the airplane departed and the accident was about 2.3 hours. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the airplane’s available fuel supply, resulting in a total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

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

  1. Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
  2. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: BasicMed
  • Seat: sngl
  • Injury: serious injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,196 hours
  • Last inspection: condition inspection, April 20, 2018
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 10 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: 6J4 Saluda SC at 3:39 pm
  • Destination: 3GE3 Carnesville GA
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
  • Observation at 6:15 pm from K27A, 4 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 27, 2022. 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.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

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.