Vickers TYPE 668 VARSITY accident near El Paso, Texas, December 11, 1983
On December 11, 1983 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Vickers TYPE 668 VARSITY, registered N65338, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Paso, Texas (West Texas airport). It was a ferry 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).
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 11, 1983 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · West Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Vickers TYPE 668 VARSITY TYPE 668 V
- Registration
- N65338 · registry record · serial WJ-948
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT FROM THE EL PASO INTL ARPT TO THE WEST TEXAS ARPT. A HARD LANDING WAS MADE CAUSING ALL THREE LANDING GEAR TO COLLAPSE, FOLDED THE LEFT WING AFT JUST INBOARD OF THE ENG & TWISTED THE ENTIRE RIGHT WING ABOUT 30 DEG LEADING EDGE DOWN. ACCORDING TO THE PLT THE ACFT WAS FLOWN WITH 30 DEG OF FLAPS ON DOWNWIND & 47 DEG OF FLAPS ON BASE. HE ALSO REPORTED THAT BOTH AIRSPEED INDICATORS WERE STUCK AT 110 KTS. ACCORDING TO PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY AN UNIDENTIFIED PARTY, THE FLAPS WERE IN THE UP POSITION IN THE PATTERN & DURING TOUCHDOWN. TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE WITH THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY. THE ACFT WHEEL TRACK IS ONLY 4 FT LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE RWY. THE PLT DID NOT HAVE A TYPE RATING NOR AUTHORIZATION IN LIEU OF A TYPE RATING FOR THE 15 MIN FERRY FLT. THE PLT HAD 4140 HRS CO-PLT TIME IN THEACFT, DURING WHICH HE HAD NEVER LANDED THE ACFT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,425 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 1,355 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,371 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 3, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 37,500 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Bristol 264 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELP El Paso TX at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 4,000 ft by 30 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 2 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.