Amateur-built VP-1 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, September 5, 1982
On September 5, 1982 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built VP-1, registered N45RB, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas (Sycamore airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- September 5, 1982 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · Sycamore
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VP-1
- Registration
- N45RB · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ENGINE QUIT AFTER TAKEOFF AND AIRCRAFT STALLED DURING FORCED LANDING IN TALL WEEDS. BENDIX ZENITH CARBURETOR ACCELERATION PUMP RUBBER COVER WAS DETERIORATED, SUCKING IN AIR.
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: 2,024 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 104 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vw EXP. (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fort Worth TX at 4:45 pm
- Destination: Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 201°F (94°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.