Amateur-built STARDUSTRER SA-100 accident near Chandler, Arizona, September 17, 2012
On September 17, 2012 at about 4:54 pm local time, a amateur-built STARDUSTRER SA-100, registered N1356Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Chandler, Arizona (Chandler Municipal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to a fuel line failure. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to adhere to the maintenance inspection criteria for the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2012 · about 4:54 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Chandler Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STARDUSTRER SA-100
- Registration
- N1356Y · registry record · serial B-1
- 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 he entered the airport traffic pattern and that the engine stopped developing power. He initiated a forced landing to an open area adjacent to the intended runway, which resulted in a hard landing. The pilot estimated that the airplane contained about 6 gallons of fuel at takeoff and that the flight required about 2 gallons of fuel. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a fuel supply line had failed, which resulted in the loss of about 4 gallons of fuel in flight. This left less than 1 gallon of total fuel remaining, which was less than the usable fuel. It is likely that the loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion. The most recent conditional inspection of the airplane, which should have been completed about 12 months before the accident in accordance with the airplane's operating limitations, was actually completed about 16 months before the accident. If a conditional inspection had been completed, it is likely that the fuel line would have shown signs of deterioration that may have been seen during the inspection.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during approach
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › Scheduled maint checks › Inadequate inspection
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 525 hours in all; 148 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 452 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 783 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 11, 2011; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,275 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KCGZ Casa Grande AZ at 4:40 pm
- Destination: Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22L, 4,850 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR12LA423.