Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Collinsville, Texas, August 1, 2004
On August 1, 2004 at about 9:25 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-4, registered N7XD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Collinsville, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper in-flight planning, which resulted in a total 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
- August 1, 2004 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Collinsville, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4
- Registration
- N7XD · registry record · serial 2026PD
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 625-hour pilot was returning home from a long cross country flight in his single-engine experimental airplane, when the engine stopped producing power approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes after he last fueled. The pilot made a forced landing to a grass field on private property. Examination of the airplane reveled that the fuel tanks were intact and empty. The pilot had recently installed an overhauled engine on the airplane, which burned an average of 11.5 gallons of fuel per hour. The total fuel capacity of the airplane was 32 gallons, and the usable fuel was approximately 31 gallons.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 625 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 11, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 337.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 2003; 40.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K88 Iola KS at 7:00 pm
- Destination: T58 Sanger TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from DTO, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.