Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG M1 accident near Bristow, Oklahoma, August 3, 1990
On August 3, 1990 at about 3:45 pm local time, a amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG M1, registered N40PW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bristow, Oklahoma (Jones Memorial 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
FUEL STARVATION INDUCED POWER LOSS, A COMPROMISED FUEL VENT SYSTEM, AND IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE PLUMBING IN THE FUEL VENT SYSTEM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1990 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bristow, Oklahoma · Jones Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG M1 MIDGET MUS
- Registration
- N40PW · registry record · serial DSA-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AGL, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. POWER CONTINUED TO DECAY AND THE PILOT INITIATED A LEFT TURN TO RETURN FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 35. AS POWER CONTINUED TO DECREASE THE PILOT REALIZED THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE HIS TURN SUFFICIENTLY TO ALIGN WITH THE RUNWAY. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A DEPRESSION BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, A FUEL LINE SEPARATED FROM A 'T' FITTING IN THE FUEL VENT SYSTEM, CAUSING THE POWER LOSS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 1990; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3F7 at 3:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,400 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.