Amateur-built VARI EZE accident near Jean, Nevada, October 17, 1999
On October 17, 1999 at about 4:20 pm local time, a amateur-built VARI EZE, registered N86KM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jean, Nevada (Jean airport). It was a personal 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 failure of the engine cylinder head due to detonation and subsequent over temperature for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1999 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Jean, Nevada · Jean · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARI EZE
- Registration
- N86KM · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed runway 2L on a downwind departure and the engine began to run rough. The pilot turned toward the runway but had insufficient altitude and power to make the airport. The aircraft landed short of the runway in desert terrain and sustained substantial damage. In his statement, the pilot said the cylinder head on the Rotorway RW-100 engine failed and opened a hole over one of the cylinders. The FAA inspector who examined the airplane on-scene reported that the hole had the appearance of a 'burn through.' The inspection could not determine the underlying reason for the cylinder head failure.
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: 594 hours in all; 469 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 521 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 502 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 21, 1999; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway RW-100 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OL7 at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2L, 4,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from LAS, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.