Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, March 20, 2000
On March 20, 2000 at about 9:45 pm local time, a amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT, registered N75CM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Tuscaloosa airport). It was a business 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
a loss of engine power during climb due to fuel starvation which was caused by a fuel leak in the gascolator as a result of improper maintenance by the operator that resulted in the pilot making a forced landing during which the airplane sustained substantial damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2000 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Tuscaloosa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT STEEN SKYB
- Registration
- N75CM · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he had landed at Tuscaloosa to refuel, and after departing the engine ceased operating without any warning. He executed an emergency landing, and the airplane incurred substantial damage during the landing. The pilot, also a certificated aircraft mechanic, further stated that he and the FAA inspector looked at the wreckage after the accident, and they discovered a massive fuel leak at the gascolator. The gascolator thumb nut had not been safety wired, and it had backed off, allowing fuel to pour out the top of the gascolator. The airplane had accumulated 10 hours since its last condition inspection, which the pilot said had been performed by the owner/operator.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 608 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 27, 1999; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,140 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TCL at 9:30 pm
- Destination: PLR Pell City AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from TCL, 4 miles away
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.