Varga 2150A accident near Chandler, Arizona, April 24, 1983
On April 24, 1983 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Varga 2150A, registered N8269J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Chandler 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 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
- April 24, 1983 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Chandler · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Varga 2150A
- Registration
- N8269J · no longer on the register · serial VAC 142-79
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, AFTER GAINING ABOUT 50-75 FT OF ALTITUDE A STRONG VERTICAL GUST WAS ENCOUNTERED WHICH INCREASED THE ACFT'S PITCH ATTITUDE TO A CRITICAL ANGLE WHEREUPON THE ACFT STALLED. RECOVERY WAS INCOMPLETE & THE ACFT IMPACTED THE TAXIWAY NORTH OF THE DEPARTURE RWY 22 IN A NEAR LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE. BOTH THE PLT & THE REAR SEAT PAX/PLT STATED THAT THEIR CLIMB OUT ANGLE WAS NOT PARTICULARLY STEEP WHEN THE GUST, WHICH WAS PROBABLY A DUST DEVIL, WAS ENCOUNTERED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 431 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 146 in the last 90 days; 290 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,136 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 20, 1983; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,817 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arizona Charter Airlines
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,810 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.