Navion A accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire, October 3, 1998
On October 3, 1998 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Navion A, registered N4285K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire. 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
The pilot's inadequate aircraft preflight and subsequent failure to refuel the aircraft resulting in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain to execute a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 1998 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Jaffrey, New Hampshire
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Navion A
- Registration
- N4285K · no longer on the register · serial NAV-4-1285
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot conducted a preflight of the Navion A airplane confirming 20 gallons of fuel each in the left and right main tanks, but did not check the 20 gallon auxiliary tank. He then departed Mansfield, Massachusetts, flew a minimum of 69 statute miles and landed at Jaffrey, New Hampshire, subsequently departing without taking on fuel and flying for approximately two additional hours. He landed at Jaffrey again, and without shutting the airplane down, departed back to Mansfield. Shortly after departing Jaffrey and leveling off at 3,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. Unable to return to his departure field, and deeming his intended landing site as unsuitable, he executed a forced landing into tree tops. A post-crash examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed no fuel in the airplane's fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel leakage. The pilot stated that 'Due to the power setting I chose to run the airplane at, the length of the flight, and my negligence to visually check and only operate the airplane based on the fuel gauge readings, I believe that it was my mistake in exhausting the fuel.'
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: 229 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,547 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1998; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFN NH at 10:05 pm
- Destination: 1B9 Manchester MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from MHT, 26 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N4285K 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.