Amateur-built SPORTSMAN GS2 accident near Pell City, Alabama, October 14, 2022
On October 14, 2022 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built SPORTSMAN GS2, registered N302BM, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Pell City, Alabama. 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 preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during cruise flight 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
- October 14, 2022 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pell City, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPORTSMAN GS2, built 2008
- Registration
- N302BM · registry record · serial 7283
- 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 airplane stated that his electronic cockpit display indicated 23 gallons of fuel prior to flight, but he did not visually inspect the fuel tanks as it would have required a step ladder. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost all power, and the pilot performed a forced landing in a field. During the landing, the airplane impacted a ditch and came to rest upright. The pilot checked the fuel tanks after the accident, and they were empty. Other than the fuel gauge, the pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that main landing gear separated and the left wing strut sustained substantial damage.
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 defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 418 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 4,300 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 3, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 418 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 22, 2022; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-390 (piston); 418 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from PLR, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPLR 142155Z AUTO 23008KT 10SM CLR 24/02 A2998
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 June 7, 2023. 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 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | 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.