Amateur-built Rutan VariViggen accident near Aguila, Arizona, November 16, 2005
On November 16, 2005 at about 7:10 pm local time, a amateur-built Rutan VariViggen, registered N389VV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aguila, Arizona (Eagle Roost Airpark airport). It was a flight test 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 pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during landing approach, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the accident airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 2005 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Aguila, Arizona · Eagle Roost Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rutan VariViggen
- Registration
- N389VV · no longer on the register · serial 389
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane dragged a wing and collided with terrain during an approach for landing. The accident flight was the first test flight after the pilot finished building the experimental canard-wing airplane. The pilot reported that he inadvertently allowed the airplane's airspeed to decay during the landing approach, which resulted in a canard wing stall. Subsequently, the right main wing dropped and impacted the ground, then the airplane cartwheeled. He reported that he might have been able to prevent the accident had he hired an experienced test pilot to conduct the flight test. He accumulated a total of 83 hours of flight time, and the accident flight was his first time flying this make and model of airplane.
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: 83 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 1, 2005; 5.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,860 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 27AZ Aguila AZ at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,800 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.