Amateur-built ACRO SPORT II accident near Cumberland, Maryland, September 30, 1996
On September 30, 1996 at about 10:46 pm local time, a amateur-built ACRO SPORT II, registered N30803, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cumberland, Maryland (Greater Cumberland Reg airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to select the electric fuel boost pump during take off which resulted in loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and the subsequent forced landing. A factor to this accident was the owner/builder alteration of the fuel system by installing electric fuel pump instead of a engine driven pump as depicted in the airplane's schematics.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1996 · about 10:46 pm local time
- Place
- Cumberland, Maryland · Greater Cumberland Reg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ACRO SPORT II ACRO SPORT
- Registration
- N30803 · registry record · serial 960
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had flown the experimental airplane once previously for less than one hour. He took off on the active runway, and was one third the way down the 5,048-foot runway at an altitude between 150 to 200 feet when the engine sputtered and surged. The pilot lowered the nose to best glide airspeed when the engine began to run again. The pilot reestablished a climb attitude in order to gain altitude and to try to assess the situation. He elected to do a 180-degree turn and land on the departure runway in the opposite direction. The engine again lost power, and the pilot initiated a turn to line up with the runway. The airplane impacted at the intersection of two runways and slide off the runway onto the grass. The builder did not use an engine driven fuel pump as drawn in the experimental airplane schematics, but utilized an electric fuel pump with an on/off switch in the cockpit. The builder stated that he had briefed the pilot on his earlier flight on the utilization of the electric fuel pump for take off. The pilot could not recall if he used the electric fuel 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,850 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 158 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 1,708 as pilot in command; 19 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 29, 1996; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,580 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CBE at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,048 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from KCB
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.