Amateur-built RV-9 accident near Bigfork, Montana, October 14, 2007
On October 14, 2007 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-9, registered N475TW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bigfork, Montana (Ferndale 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
Fuel starvation while on downwind for landing. The pilot's inadequate in-flight fuel management planning was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2007 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bigfork, Montana · Ferndale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-9
- Registration
- N475TW · no longer on the register · serial 90475
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that at the completion of a third flight for the day, he was returning to the airport for landing. The flight entered downwind when the engine sputtered, ran smoothly, then lost power. The pilot switched the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank and attempted to restart the engine. The engine would not start and the pilot initially thought that he could make the end of the runway, however the aircraft lost altitude and the landing gear hit the edge of the road short of the runway and the aircraft slid through a barb wire fence and onto the runway. Both wings and the tail section were substantially damaged. After the accident, the pilot stated that he found the right fuel tank "extremely low" and the left fuel tank about a third full. The pilot continued to state that after changing to the left fuel tank, he believed that the fuel pump did not fill the header tank fast enough for an engine restart.
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: 354 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru Unknown (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 53U Bigfork MT
- Destination: 53U
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,500 ft by 95 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N475TW 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.