Amateur-built AVID FLYER accident near Wetumpka, Alabama, August 3, 2023
On August 3, 2023 at about 6:26 pm local time, a 1993 amateur-built AVID FLYER, registered N3HH, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Wetumpka, 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
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion because of a leaking fuel drain valve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2023 · about 6:26 pm local time
- Place
- Wetumpka, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID FLYER MK IV, built 1993
- Registration
- N3HH · registry record · serial 1066D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying his experimental airplane from Florida to Alabama. The airplane was equipped with a 15-gallon fuel tank and the engine consumed about 4.5 gallons of fuel per hour. The pilot said he departed with full fuel and then made 4 fuel stops along the route, stopping about every 70 to 90 minutes. At each stop he filled the fuel tank. On his last fuel stop, after he filled the fuel tank, he took a sample of fuel from the tank’s fuel drain valve to check for water and noticed a few drips of fuel coming from the valve, but no major leaks. The pilot then departed on his final leg of the trip. About 90 minutes into the flight, the engine stopped producing power, and the pilot noted that the fuel sight tube was completely empty. The pilot made a forced landing, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fuel tank was intact and empty. No other breaches in the fuel system were observed; however, blue staining was noted around the fuel sump-valve consistent with it having been leaking. Fuel staining was also observed on the right flaperon. The pilot said the fuel valve was leaking a few months before the accident, but he fixed it and had not had another problem with the drain valve until the accident flight. Based on this information, it is likely that fuel leaking from the drain valve decreased the amount of fuel available over the duration of the accident flight, ultimately resulting in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent total loss of engine 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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel filter › strainer › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 173 hours in all; 106 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 14, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 225.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 10, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL (piston); 164 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 16J Dawson GA at 4:49 pm
- Destination: 08A Wetumpka AL
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KMXF, 12 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMXF 031755Z AUTO 24007KT 10SM CLR 34/18 A3002
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2024. 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 | NTSB Summary of Email - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Summary of Record - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | 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 N3HH 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.