ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 43662
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| Date: | Wednesday 3 October 2007 |
| Time: | 18:18 |
| Type: |  Rutan VariEze |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8VE |
| MSN: | 1996 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1547 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-235 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chesapeake, VA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Chesapeake, VA (CPK) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot/owner's girlfriend stated that the purpose of the flight was to test the speed brake installed in the amateur-built airplane. She quoted the pilot as saying that during the first hour he owned the airplane, he tried the speed brake and it really scared him. He had since accumulated 70 total hours in the airplane and was going to try the speed brake again. Witnesses described watching the accident airplane taxi from its hangar and then listening to the pilot announce the takeoff, crosswind, and downwind legs of the traffic pattern over the Unicom frequency. Seconds later, the witnesses heard a voice transmit cries for help. Other witnesses were traveling southbound along a divided highway, adjacent to the airport, in their car. They noticed the airplane flying erratically, at low altitude, as it paralleled their course on the west side of the highway. The airplane then crossed the roadway in front of their vehicle at low altitude, and circled back towards them before striking the ground on the east side of the roadway, scattering debris across all four lanes in a westerly direction. The witnesses' vehicle drove through and over wreckage as their vehicle was struck by flying debris. Examination of the wreckage and its components revealed no evidence of preimpact anomalies. The airplane's builder assisted the pilot/owner with a complete disassembly and annual inspection of the airplane about 1 year prior to the accident, with no mechanical, performance, or handling deficiencies noted with the speed brake stowed or deployed. The pilot/owner did not express any concerns to the builder about the speed brake, nor the handling characteristics of the airplane with the speed brake deployed.
Probable Cause: A loss of control in flight for undetermined reasons.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20071016X01587&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 04-Dec-2017 18:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
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