Amateur-built Emeraude CP301A accident near Brookville, Ohio, October 21, 2003
On October 21, 2003 at about 1:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Emeraude CP301A, registered N29GL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brookville, Ohio (Brookville Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to operate an airplane with insufficient fuel for the flight, his improper decision to return to the airport with inadequate altitude remaining, and his failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A factor related to the accident was the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2003 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brookville, Ohio · Brookville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Emeraude CP301A
- Registration
- N29GL · registry record · serial 1132
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was delivering the airplane because it had been sold to another individual. Witnesses observed the airplane depart, and as the airplane climbed to 300 feet, the engine suddenly quit. The airplane then made a left hand turn, and descended rapidly out view. The airplane came to rest in a field upright, about 1/4-mile from the airport. Examination of the wreckage after the accident revealed that the fuel gauge needle in the cockpit was observed stuck between the 1/4-1/2 position. About one teaspoon of fuel was observed in the carburetor bowl, and no fuel was observed in either the fuel tank or fuel lines. Examination of the engine and its maintenance logs did not reveal any abnormalities. The last fueling record obtained from the fixed based operator at I62 for the accident airplane was dated on July 30, 2003, when the airplane was fueled with 15 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline. An approximate 500-foot-long cornfield was located at the departure end of runway 27.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,100 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 9, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,410 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I62 Brookville OH at 1:30 pm
- Destination: 16OI Greenville OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,500 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from DAY, 10 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.
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.