Amateur-built VARI-EZE accident near Parker, Arizona, April 5, 1989
On April 5, 1989 at about 1:25 pm local time, a amateur-built VARI-EZE, registered N8494J, was destroyed in an accident near Parker, Arizona (Avi Suqilla airport). 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
UNDETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1989 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- Parker, Arizona · Avi Suqilla · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARI-EZE
- Registration
- N8494J · no longer on the register · serial 147
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HOME-BUILT EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO AN AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP LOT LOCATED APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE SHORT OF RUNWAY 1 AT AVI SUQUILLA AIRPORT, PARKER, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT AND FIRE, AND SEVERAL TRUCKS AND CARS WERE DAMAGED.
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: 200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 4,782 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.