Amateur-built SIDEWINDER accident near Minden, Louisiana, June 16, 1996
On June 16, 1996 at about 11:15 pm local time, a amateur-built SIDEWINDER, registered N177TJ, was destroyed in an accident near Minden, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations resulting in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the unsuitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1996 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SIDEWINDER
- Registration
- N177TJ · registry record · serial 2559
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During flight, at about 2,500 feet, the engine lost power. A forced landing was made to a field with small saplings and bushes, and the airplane came to rest in an inverted position. The pilot reported that he departed Memphis with 17 gallons of fuel on board. The FAA inspector on the scene of the accident reported that he drained 3 tablespoons of fuel from the fuel tank. The pilot reported as a safety recommendation, 'When calibrating fuel capacity and markings for [the] fuel gauge, fuel should have been drained to see how the fuel gauge indicated as fuel was being used.'
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: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,879 hours in all; 370 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,879 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 370 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1995; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2M6 Memphis TN at 9:50 pm
- Destination: DTN Shreveport LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.