Amateur-built VARIEZE accident near Millard, Nebraska, September 5, 1994
On September 5, 1994 at about 5:26 pm local time, a amateur-built VARIEZE, registered N54WB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Millard, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation from vapor lock. A factor associated with the accident is the soft terrain the pilot was forced to land upon.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1994 · about 5:26 pm local time
- Place
- Millard, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARIEZE
- Registration
- N54WB · registry record · serial 554
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THE EXPERIMENTAL HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE'S ENGINE LOST PARTIAL POWER AND THEN STOPPED RUNNING. HE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE, AND MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A MUDDY FIELD. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ENGINE SEPARATED DURING THE LANDING ROLL. POSTACCIDENT INSPECTION AND SUBSEQUENT OPERATION OF THE ENGINE DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT MECHANICAL ANOMALY. THE PILOT SAID THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL TANKS WERE FILLED WITH AUTOGAS AND THAT THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80 DEGREES F. THE PILOT BELIEVES THAT THE ENGINE MAY HAVE LOST POWER DUE TO FUEL STARVATION FROM VAPOR LOCK.
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
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 160 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 163 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 1994; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,190 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLE NE at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from OMA, 14 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N54WB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.