Amateur-built VEE BEE 4 accident near Saginaw, Michigan, August 14, 1982
On August 14, 1982 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built VEE BEE 4, registered N4VB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Saginaw, Michigan (Harry Brown airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- August 14, 1982 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Saginaw, Michigan · Harry Brown
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VEE BEE 4
- Registration
- N4VB · no longer on the register · serial 01
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE HOME BUILT AIRCRAFT WAS MAKING A HIGH SPEED TAXI RUN WHEN THE AIRCRAFT INADVERTENTLY BECAME AIRBORNE. THE PLANE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 100 FT AGL AND THEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. DURING LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE LANDING FLARE WAS INCOMPLETE. ALSO, HE STATED THAT THE ENGINE LOST POWER DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. ADDITIONALLY, HE REPORTED THAT THE ELECTRIC AUX PUMP WAS NOT ON, THE FUEL LEVELS WERE LOW, THE FRONT FUEL TANK WAS NOT ON AND THE PITCH TRIM HAD BEEN PRESET FOR A CLIMB.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 434 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 340 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2SG Saginaw MI at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 2SG Saginaw MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 158°F (70°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.