Amateur-built MONI accident near Rochester, Washington, July 4, 2004
On July 4, 2004, a amateur-built MONI, registered N87TW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rochester, Washington (Skatter Creek Airport). 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 in-flight decision by failing to refuel, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of power during descent. Factors contributing to the accident included the pilot's lack of experience in the aircraft and the tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2004
- Place
- Rochester, Washington · Skatter Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MONI
- Registration
- N87TW · no longer on the register · serial 49
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was for familiarization purposes. The pilot, who had five hours in the airplane, at first said he didn't remember checking the fuel level, but subsequently said he added 3 gallons to the 4 gallon tank prior to departing on the first leg of a two-leg flight. While en route on the second leg of the flight at 3,500 feet agl, the pilot did one engine shutdown and an air start before the engine quit. An attempt to restart the engine failed, necessitating a forced landing to a 1,800 foot long, 100 foot wide grass airstrip. After misjudging his pattern and being 500 feet too high, the pilot used spoilers and a slipping maneuver to lose altitude. At mid field and 40 above ground level, the pilot elected to turn left 45 degrees and land in a hay field, rather than risk impacting a house located at the end of the airstrip. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree with its right wing, hit flat and sideways before coming to rest upright after having continued to rotate clockwise approximately 120 degrees.
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: 217 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 176 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 12, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 2003; 6.1 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kfm 107 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OLM Olympia WA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: CLS Chehalis WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 1,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,894 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
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.