Amateur-built RUTAN VARI EZE accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 10, 1996
On November 10, 1996 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RUTAN VARI EZE, registered N18VE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Sundance Airpark airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to follow proper starting procedures and set the throttle to idle before hand propping.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 1996 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Sundance Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RUTAN VARI EZE RUTAN VARI
- Registration
- N18VE · registry record · serial 948
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During hand propping of the airplane, the throttle is placed in the idle position with the ignition (magneto) switch and fuel on. However, when the engine is flooded, a clearing procedure must be used. For clearing the engine, the pilot turned off the ignition and the fuel and placed the throttle full open before pulling the propeller through backwards 10 blades. Subsequently, the pilot turned on the ignition and the fuel. However, he did not close the throttle. As the pilot pulled the propeller through a revolution, the engine started and the airplane went forward with full power. The left wing tip struck a steel pole and crossed the ramp, a taxiway, and a runway before striking windsock guy wires and coming to a stop. The airplane was not equipped with a parking brake, and at idle power a rubber parking pad at the nose served as the chock. On the Pilot/Operator Report the pilot recommended installing a hand brake, using full lean mixture for flooded procedures, and using a checklist.
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: 282 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 235 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 97 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1996; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.