Amateur-built VARIEZE accident near Antonio, Colorado, December 12, 1984
On December 12, 1984 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built VARIEZE, registered N572KE, was destroyed in an accident near Antonio, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- December 12, 1984 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Antonio, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARIEZE
- Registration
- N572KE · no longer on the register · serial 1905
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT HAD FILED A VFR FLT PLAN FROM ESPANOLA, NM, TO DURANGO, CO, WITH A PROPOSED DEPARTURE TIME OF 1500 MST AND AS EN ROUTE FLT TIME OF 1 HR 10 MINS. THE FLT PLAN WAS NOT ACTIVATED. A SEARCH FOR THE ACFT BEGAN ON 12/13/84 AND ENDED ON 12/24/84. ON 6/10/85 THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 1/4 MILE WEST OF LOS PINOS, CO, AT THE 10,400 FT LEVEL OF A MOUNTAIN. WX OBSERVATIONS FOR 12/12/84 BETWEEN 1250 MST AND 1650 MST INDICATED CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS OF AN UNKNOWN INTENSITY OBSCURED MOUNTAIN TOPS IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT SITE.
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: 7,604 hours in all; 1,713 in this make and model; 6,569 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 31, 1983
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q14 Espanola NM
- Destination: DRO Durango CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.