Amateur-built MARQUART M 5 CHARGER accident near Tucson, Arizona, May 15, 2026
On May 15, 2026 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built MARQUART M 5 CHARGER, registered N987JB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Tucson, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2026 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MARQUART M 5 CHARGER
- Registration
- N987JB · registry record · serial 987JB
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 15, 2026, about 1500 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur built Marquart M5 Charger was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal fight. The pilot reported that prior to departing, he checked the fuel quantity indicator and observed about 14 gallons of fuel. He estimated that it would provide one hour of useable fuel. The pilot departed and noticed a “heavy smell of rubber” and no smoke. The rubber smell then went away. The pilot reported that while he was about 1,000 ft above ground level the engine lost all power. The propeller continued to spin and he switched the electric fuel pump on. The pilot elected to land on a road where he performed a wheel landing; however, a vehicle was in front of the airplane so the pilot elected to turn away from the road and the vehicle, which resulted in the airplane impacting a pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. After exiting the airplane, the pilot reported that he saw a stream of fuel coming from behind the engine that lasted for about 15 seconds. The airplane was recovered to the pilot’s private hangar for further examination.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Cassill Aircraft Leasing INC
The flight
- Departed from: P19 Chandler AZ at 9:30 pm
- Destination: TUS Tucson AZ
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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 WPR26LA191.