Amateur-built I accident near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, January 6, 2020
On January 6, 2020 at about 10:24 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built I, registered N118CV, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Mount Sterling, Kentucky (Mount Sterling-Montgomery Coun airport). 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 mismanagement of the fuel selector, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2020 · about 10:24 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Sterling, Kentucky · Mount Sterling-Montgomery Coun · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built I RG, built 2008
- Registration
- N118CV · no longer on the register · serial 255
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed his home airport, remained in the traffic pattern and performed "several" touch-and-go landings, flew about 20 miles to a nearby airport, returned to his home airport, and performed another takeoff. Shortly after takeoff, the engine stopped producing power while the propeller continued to "windmill." The pilot said that he rotated the fuel selector from the "main tank" to the "header tank" position and that he turned the electric fuel boost pump on, but engine power was not restored. The airplane struck trees and terrain during the forced landing and sustained substantial damage, and the pilot was seriously injured. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that the two main and the header fuel tanks were compromised by impact, but continuity was confirmed through the entire fuel system with compressed air. The fuel selector was in the “Off” position and was immobilized in that position by impact damage. The pilot reported no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane before the loss of engine power, and a postaccident engine run on the airframe revealed the engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption. The pilot reported the airplane’s header tank contained 9 gallons of fuel and that the airplane averaged a fuel consumption rate of 8 gallons per hour. Based on the capacity of the header tank, the airplane’s fuel consumption rate, the as-found position of the fuel selector, and the successful postaccident engine run, it is likely the pilot inadvertently conducted the entire accident flight with the header tank selected, exhausted its fuel supply, then rotated the selector to the “Off” position after the engine lost power.
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 approach (VFR pattern downwind)
- Fuel starvation during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- 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 › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 591 hours in all; 361.7 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 405.9 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 3, 2020; 1 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Superior XPO-320-B1AC2 (piston); 406 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IOB Mount Sterling KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from KIOB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on August 10, 2021. 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 Memo for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Pilot Interview Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Map of Accident Site | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
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.