N4119Q

On June 21, 2000, at 1400 hours Pacific daylight time, an experimental Ward Sidewinder, N4119Q, experienced a loss of engine power and made a forced landing in an open field 2 miles southwest of the Madera Muni Airport, Madera, California. The airplane, operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed the Cottage Grove, Oregon, airport at 0730, with en route stops at Roseburg, Oregon, and Red Bluff, California. The flight was scheduled to terminate at the Fresno-Chandler, Fresno, California, airport.

In an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot reported the airplane holds a total capacity of 20 gallons of fuel with a total cruise time of 2 1/2 to 3 hours. He indicated that the airplane burns approximately 8 gallons an hour. He further reported that this airplane was not equipped with flaps.

Prior to departure, the airplane fuel tanks had been topped off with approximately 8 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. Refueling stops were made at Roseburg and Red Bluff. At Red Bluff, the airplane was topped off with 16 gallons of 80-octane fuel. The pilot stated that he arrived at the Red Bluff airport at 0920, and departed at 1120.

During an interview with FAA inspectors, the pilot narrated a summary of the events leading to the accident. He arrived at the Fresno-Chandler airport at 1320, and made three attempts to land, but due to winds and a high temperature he was unable to do so. On all three attempts he landed approximately halfway down the runway, and he did not feel there was enough room to safely come to a stop. He departed the airport at 1345, to attempt a landing at the nearby Madera airport. He bypassed an open field, on which he would subsequently make a forced landing in an attempt to reach the airport at Madera. According to his handheld global positioning system (GPS), he ran out of fuel approximately 6 miles from Madera. After the engine quit, he was at 2,300 feet, and started looking for a landing spot and turned back to the field he had observed previously. While on final with a tailwind approximately 10 feet above ground level (agl), the airplane dropped and landed hard.

According to the FAA inspector, the pilot had indicated that he did not have a transponder onboard the airplane. The pilot stated that he was familiar with the area and knew he was running low on fuel. He decided to travel to Madera, approximately 20 miles away, instead of the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport, which was 5 miles away, because he did not have a transponder and did not want to get into trouble for entering Class C airspace.

The pilot said that no mechanical discrepancies were noted with the airplane during the flight.