Amateur-built MARQUART MA-5 accident near Waycross, Georgia, September 23, 2021
On September 23, 2021 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 2014 amateur-built MARQUART MA-5, registered N79RW, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Waycross, Georgia (Waycross -Ware County Airport). 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 fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power on approach due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2021 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Waycross, Georgia · Waycross -Ware County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MARQUART MA-5, built 2014
- Registration
- N79RW · no longer on the register · serial 404
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the experimental, amateur-built airplane reported that he fueled the airplane 4 days prior to the long cross-country flight and entered 24 gallons of useable fuel into his fuel computer prior to takeoff. While enroute, the pilot switched from the main fuel tank to the wing fuel tank and the engine lost all power. The pilot switched back to the main fuel tank and the engine regained power. He had not used the wing fuel tank for some time and suspected fuel contamination in that tank; however, he forgot to reset his fuel computer from 24 gallons to 16 gallons of useable fuel to account for 8 gallons in the wing tank that would not be available. During final approach to the destination airport, at low altitude, the engine lost all power due to fuel starvation. During the forced landing, the airplane became entangled in powerlines. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing. The inspector did not observe any preimpact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any. The pilot added that in retrospect, he should have done a pretakeoff runup on the wing tank as he had not used that tank in a while. Additionally, he should have made an intermediate fuel stop once he realized that he would not be able to use the fuel in his wing tank. The reason for the failure of fuel to feed from the wing tank 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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during approach defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,175 hours in all; 586 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,175 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 210 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 21, 2021; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,775 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 12:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 5,992 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 am from AYS, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 4, 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | 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 N79RW 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.