Piper PA-18 accident near Prineville, Oregon, April 27, 2007
On April 27, 2007 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N40520, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prineville, Oregon (Prineville Airport). 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
The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot failing to correctly read the fuel quantity sight gauges. Factors include soft, brushy terrain, and the pilot's intentional excessive braking during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2007 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Prineville, Oregon · Prineville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N40520 · registry record · serial 7509121
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the preflight inspection, the pilot looked at the fuel level sight gauges and did not see a meniscus point in the clear tubes. He therefore assumed that this meant the tanks were completely full and that the entire sight gauge was filled with fuel. About five minutes after departure the aircraft ran out of fuel, and during the ensuing forced landing the aircraft nosed over on the soft, brushy terrain as the pilot applied "excessive braking" in order to stop before reaching a line of trees. After the accident, the pilot checked his fueling log, and then realized that the fuel tanks had been almost completely empty prior to takeoff, and that the reason he saw no meniscus point in the fuel quantity sight gauges was because the lines were completely full of air. The pilot had not visually checked the fuel tanks during his preflight.
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: 525 hours in all; 525 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S39 Prineville OR
- Destination: S39 Prineville OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N40520 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.