Amateur-built Varieze accident near San Diego, California, August 20, 2005
On August 20, 2005 at about 5:15 pm local time, a amateur-built Varieze, registered N862DP, was destroyed in an accident near San Diego, California (Brown Field Muni). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a divergence from the final approach course and an in-flight collision with storage containers for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2005 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Brown Field Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Varieze
- Registration
- N862DP · registry record · serial 862
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane on a normal final approach and then it made a sudden right turn and impacted tractor trailers in a storage yard about 0.4 miles from the runway. The witnesses did not hear any unusual noises emanating from the engine. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was observed with the airframe systems. During the disassembly of the carburetor, investigators noted that the accelerator pump seal was worn and separated from the retainer spring, which may have prevented the engine from responding to the pilot's throttle input.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,635 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,950.9 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,110 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: SDM San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26L, 3,180 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SDM, 1 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.