Bulsky SKYBOLT accident near Goodyear, Arizona, March 31, 1995
On March 31, 1995 at about 1:05 am local time, a Bulsky SKYBOLT, registered N94BV, was destroyed in an accident near Goodyear, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation due to the partial failure of the fuel pump caused by the broken crankshaft idler gear attachment screw lockplate. The unsuitable terrain and trees were factors in this accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 1995 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Goodyear, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bulsky SKYBOLT
- Registration
- N94BV · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LOCAL AREA FLIGHT, THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT IDLER GEAR LOCKPLATE BROKE WHICH ALLOWED THE ATTACH SCREWS TO BACK OUT. THE IDLER GEAR BECAME LOOSE AND ITS GEAR TEETH WERE DAMAGED. A PARTIAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMP, WHICH IS OPERATED BY THE IDLER GEAR, CAN ALLOW THE ENGINE POWER TO SUDDENLY REDUCE TO IDLE. DURING THE SUBSEQUENT EMERGENCY LANDING, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH SOME TREES AND BUSHES.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 6,683 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 6,200 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 160 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 26, 1994; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-T4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GYR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
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.