Amateur-built VARIEZE accident near Glendale, Arizona, August 17, 1996
On August 17, 1996 at about 11:28 pm local time, a amateur-built VARIEZE, registered N3LV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glendale, 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 fracture and separation of the mixture control cable housing from the carburetor mounting bracket, which resulted in fuel starvation due to an overlean condition, and the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while stretching the glide to the field which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush and a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 1996 · about 11:28 pm local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARIEZE
- Registration
- N3LV · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after departure he headed toward a nearby USAF base to make a low approach to their runway. After receiving a clearance to enter the base airspace the pilot turned toward the airbase and applied full throttle. Shortly after that, the engine suddenly quit, restarted briefly, then quit altogether. The pilot said he set up for a forced landing in a vacant field and was just able to make the field but the aircraft landed hard. The landing gear broke and separated from the aircraft, then it cartwheeled. The engine and airframe were inspected by an FAA airworthiness inspector who reported that he found the mixture cable housing broken where it entered the securing bracket to the carburetor. The cable would pull the mixture lever to the idle cutoff position but would not push the lever toward the rich position. The inspector further noted that the cable, which appeared to be a bicycle or motorcycle part, was too short for the application.
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: 196 hours in all; 66 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 122 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 627 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 25, 1995; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.