Amateur-built AERO SPORT SCAMP accident near Carefree, Arizona, December 12, 1982
On December 12, 1982 at about 10:50 pm local time, a amateur-built AERO SPORT SCAMP, registered N37690, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carefree, Arizona. 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 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
- December 12, 1982 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Carefree, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AERO SPORT SCAMP AERO SPORT
- Registration
- N37690 · no longer on the register · serial 4621
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT FLEW FROM GLENDALE TO CAREFREE, AZ. AFTER LANDING, HE REFUELED AND PAID FOR 6.7 GALS OF GASOLINE. DURING TAKEOFF, HE ENCOUNTERED A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER. A TURN WAS MADE TOWARD LOWER TERRAIN AND TO LAND ON A GOLF COURSE. THE AIRCRAFT BARELY CLEARED POWER LINES AND LANDED IN THE DESERT. DURING THE LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR DUE INTO SOFT TERRAIN AND COLLAPSED, THEN THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM AND GASCOLATOR REVEALED EVIDENCE OF WATER. WATER WAS ALSO FOUND IN A SAMPLE TAKEN FROM THE FUEL TRUCK.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 16,412 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 16,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 722 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 2180-CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Carefree AZ at 3:45 pm
- Destination: Carefree AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 140°F (60°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.