Amateur-built 100 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 18, 1987
On April 18, 1987 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built 100, registered N100VL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- April 18, 1987 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 100
- Registration
- N100VL · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNED PROTOTYPE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN ON ITS FIRST FLT. THE ACFT TOOK OFF AND FLEW IN GROUND EFFECT BEYOND THE ARPT BOUNDARY. AT FULL PWR, THE ACFT COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND DESCENDED UNCONTROLLED TO AN IMPACT WITH THE TERRAIN. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER. ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THE ACFT WAS 950 LBS GW WITH A 60 HP ENG. AS THIS PROTOTYPE WAS EQUIPPED ITS CLIMB RATE WAS A MINUS 75 FT/MIN. IN A POST FLT TEST THE INVOLVED ENG PRODUCED LESS THAN 40 HP. THE ACC PLT STEPPED INTO THE PROGRAM 10 DAYS BEFORE THE ACC AFTER THE ORIGINAL CONTRACTED TEST PLT QUIT. THE TEST WAS FLOWN IN SPITE OF SOME OF THE TECHNICIANS SKEPTICISM OF SUCCESS.
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
- Flight time: 2,888 hours in all; 38 in the last 90 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,375 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Emdair 2 CYCLE (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:47 pm from ABQ, 2 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.
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.