Rutan VARIEZE accident near Mt. Vernon, Illinois, February 17, 1985
On February 17, 1985 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Rutan VARIEZE, registered N101MW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Vernon, Illinois (Mt Vernon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1985 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mt. Vernon, Illinois · Mt Vernon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rutan VARIEZE
- Registration
- N101MW · registry record · serial 24
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LNDG GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER SEVERAL LNDGS. THE PLT WAS PRACTICING TOUCH & GO LNDGS AND COMPLETED 5 CIRCUITS. DURING THE 6TH LNDG THE MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AT TOUCHDOWN. THE NOSE GEAR THEN COLLAPSED THIS MODEL VARIEZE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A LNDG GEAR THAT WAS FOUND TO BE TOO WEAK. LATER VERSIONS HAD AN IMPROVED SYSTEM WHICH WAS STRONGER. NO PROVISION TO MAKE THE CHANGE MADATORY HAD BEEN MADE.
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: 680 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 624 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 295 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 19, 1984; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,149 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from BLV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 CHI85LA113.