Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT accident near Brazoria, Texas, July 12, 1997
On July 12, 1997, a amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT, registered N773HD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brazoria, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a fuel leak at a wobble pump fuel hose clamp, which resulted in loss of fuel and fuel exhaustion. A related factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1997
- Place
- Brazoria, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT STEEN SKYB
- Registration
- N773HD · registry record · serial 07DB
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Skybolt experimental airplane was flying east of the airport when the 'engine start[ed] missing.' The aircraft entered downwind for runway 11 at the Eagle Air Park Airport. The pilot reported that while on crosswind, about 12 minutes after takeoff, he smelled 'raw fuel, looked down on floor board, [and] saw fuel.' The fuel pressure which was normally 30 psi, began to fluctuate 'radically,' and the engine 'cut out.' The pilot turned on the electric fuel pump, and the engine 'came back up to power.' After turning final, the engine started 'cutting in and out, [the] fuel pressure could not be kept up,' and the engine lost power. Unable to reach a suitable area, the pilot landed the airplane in trees; the airplane then 'hit [the] ground flat.' Prior to the accident flight, the pilot fueled the airplane with 15 gallons of 100 octane low lead aviation fuel. An FAA inspector's examination of the fuel system revealed no apparent signs of rupture or lack of integrity, and there was no fuel in the fuel tank. After the airplane was moved another FAA inspector pumped the wobble pump and could smell fuel. The pilot/owner found that one of the hoses that was connected to the wobble pump, which was located under the pilot's seat, had been leaking fuel at its clamp. Fuel stains were found on the fabric aft of the wobble pump.
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: 980 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 980 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 245 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-560 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2C0 at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N773HD 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.