Amateur-built Rutan Vari Viggen accident near Urbana, Illinois, June 16, 2002
On June 16, 2002 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Rutan Vari Viggen, registered N915D, was destroyed in an accident near Urbana, Illinois (Frasca Field). 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 pilot's failure to abort the takeoff. Additional factors included the partial loss of engine power due to an excessively rich mixture as a result of a bad accelerator pump housing seal, and the pilot failed to maintain control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2002 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Urbana, Illinois · Frasca Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rutan Vari Viggen
- Registration
- N915D · registry record · serial 100
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain after a loss of control following a partial loss of engine power during the initial climb from the runway. A witness stated that the airplane had an unusually long takeoff roll, lifting off approximately 300 feet from the end of the 4,000 foot runway, and that once the airplane was airborne, the wings were "rocking and rolling". The pilot transmitted on the radio that he was having trouble climbing. The witness reported that the airplane entered a slow turn to the right with a high angle of attack. The witness stated that the airplane's nose fell to the right and the aircraft impacted the terrain nose first. A fuel leak was found around the accelerator pump housing on the carburetor. The engine was found to be running excessively rich when run on a test stand.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,900 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 250 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 11, 2001; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C16 Urbana IL at 10:30 am
- Destination: 3OH0 New Carlisle OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,000 ft by 57 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from CMI, 8 miles away
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.
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 CHI02LA166.