Amateur-built EVANS VP-1 accident near Statesville, North Carolina, July 16, 1985
On July 16, 1985, a amateur-built EVANS VP-1, registered N74VP, was destroyed in an accident near Statesville, North Carolina (Raeford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1985
- Place
- Statesville, North Carolina · Raeford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EVANS VP-1
- Registration
- N74VP · no longer on the register · serial N74VP
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE UNREGISTERED EXPIRED CERTIFICATED NEWLY PURCHASED EXPERIMENTAL ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN BY THE STUDENT PLT OWNER ON HIS 1ST FLT IN THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS SEEN TO TAKEOFF AND MAKE A RIGHT TURN AFTER WHICH IT DESCENDED INTO TALL TREES. WITNESS REPORTED HEARING NORMAL ENG SOUNDS PRIOR TO IMPACT. A FRIEND OF THE PLT STATED THE PLT PROBABLY HAD NOT ACCUMULATED MORE THAN 20-25 HRS FLT TIME IN THE LAST 4 YRS. HE CONTINUED TO STATE HE HAD FLOWN THE ACFT ON THE PREVIOUS DAY AND IT PERFORMED NORMALLY BUT THE CONTROLS WERE VERY SENSITIVE AND THE PLT HAD NEVER FLOWN AN ACFT WITH A STICK INSTEAD OF A CONTROL YOKE.
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: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1600 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 2,500 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.