Amateur-built GREAT LAKES accident near Gila Bend, Arizona, June 4, 1992
On June 4, 1992 at about 4:17 pm local time, a amateur-built GREAT LAKES, registered N4045, was destroyed in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona (Gila Bend Muni 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
FUEL STARVATION DUE TO THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY POSITION THE FUEL SELECTOR IN THE FULL 'ON' SETTING. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE DESIGN OF THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE AND THE LOCATION OF THE TEMPORARY RADIO INSTALLATION WHICH LIMITED THE PILOT'S VIEW OF THE SELECTOR VALVE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1992 · about 4:17 pm local time
- Place
- Gila Bend, Arizona · Gila Bend Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GREAT LAKES GREAT LAKE
- Registration
- N4045 · no longer on the register · serial 6906F161B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS ON THE DELIVERY FLIGHT FROM ARIZONA TO GEORGIA. HE LANDED AT THE AIRPORT FOR A FUEL STOP AND TOOK OFF AFTER TOPPING THE FUEL TANK. THE PILOT SAID HE ATTAINED ABOUT 100 FEET AGL WHEN THE ENGINE POWER LEVEL SUDDENLY REDUCED TO IDLE. THE PILOT SAID HE HAD INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO AFFECT A LANDING AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. FAA INSPECTORS EXAMINED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. THE FUEL SELECTOR IS AN 'ON' OR 'OFF' VALVE WITHOUT DETENTS. ONE QUARTER OF A TURN (90 DEGREES) OF THE VALVE IS THE TOTAL MOTION BETWEEN SETTINGS. THE VALVE HANDLE WAS FOUND ABOUT 15 DEGREES FROM THE FULL ON POSITION. THE PREVIOUS AIRCRAFT OWNER STATED THAT THE FUEL VALVE IS VERY SENSITIVE TO BEING IN AN INTERMEDIATE SETTING. HE SAID THAT IF THE VALVE WERE IN ANYTHING BUT THE FULL ON POSITION, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RUN.
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; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,899 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 10,899 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 285 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 1992; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E63 at 4:15 pm
- Destination: DGL Douglass AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 106°F (41°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.
Other NTSB records under N4045 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.