Amateur-built JA20 HIGHLANDER accident near Central City, Kentucky, May 20, 2021
On May 20, 2021 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2019 amateur-built JA20 HIGHLANDER, registered N743BT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Central City, Kentucky. 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 pilot’s failure to properly secure the left wing fuel cap before flight, which resulted in a 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
- May 20, 2021 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Central City, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JA20 HIGHLANDER, built 2019
- Registration
- N743BT · no longer on the register · serial JA469-10-15
- 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 fuel at a self-serve gas pump prior to departure on a cross country flight. About an hour after he departed, the engine stopped producing power and he made a forced landing to a soybean field. The airplane’s nose gear collapsed, and the airplane flipped over on to its back resulting in substantial damage to the left and right wings. The pilot reported that following the accident, the left-wing fuel cap was missing and that neither fuel tank contained any fuel. While the pilot said that he replaced both fuel caps after he fueled the airplane, the left wing fuel cap was later found next to the gas pump where he pumped the fuel. A functional test of the cap revealed that it fit securely to the left-wing fuel port. As a result, it is most likely that the pilot failed to properly install the left-wing fuel cap after refueling the airplane, which resulted in loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion in-flight.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel storage › Inadequate inspection
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 483 hours in all; 483 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 453 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 18, 2020
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 140.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 10, 2020; 30.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 2,075 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BWG Bowling Green KY at 3:15 pm
- Destination: MVN Mt. Vernon IL
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 60°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:30 am from BWG, 90 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 27, 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 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Video File - When Fuel Cap Was Found at Bwg | MOV file | Download |
| 4 | NTSB Investigator Fuel Cap Examination/test | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Fuel Receipt | 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.
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.