Amateur-built VARIEZE accident near Globe, Arizona, July 19, 1998
On July 19, 1998 at about 6:38 pm local time, a amateur-built VARIEZE, registered N77AX, was destroyed in an accident near Globe, Arizona (Globe-San Carlos Apache 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
fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to properly plan his flight with regard to his estimated flight time, planned descent(s), and the amount of usable fuel available and required in the fuselage tank. The pilot/builder's deviation from the aircraft plans, in that his aircraft did not employ a fuel boost pump and an engine driven fuel pump, as specified by the designer, was a factor in this accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1998 · about 6:38 pm local time
- Place
- Globe, Arizona · Globe-San Carlos Apache · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARIEZE
- Registration
- N77AX · registry record · serial 1861
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses on the ground reported hearing the engine of a low-flying aircraft start and stop several times before the aircraft struck utility lines. The engine then surged, but the aircraft continued to the ground. A wet stain was on the ground near the right wing tank. About 2 gallons of fuel were in the left wing tank and about 1 or 2 cups of fuel in the fuselage header tank. The POH states that starvation can occur during long steep descents with 2 gallons per wing tank, and advises the pilot to select the fuselage tank in order to avoid fuel starvation. The fuel selector was found partially displaced from the auxiliary (fuselage tank position). The fuselage tank is separate from the main fuel system and must be filled independently. The carburetor throttle and mixture control arms were in the full open and full rich positions. No fuel was found in the carburetor bowl. No engine driven fuel pump or electric fuel boost pump was installed. The aircraft designer specifies that the aircraft be equipped with both an engine driven fuel pump and an electric auxiliary fuel boost pump because of the limited headspace between the tanks and the engine.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 950 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,110 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 4:00 pm
- Destination: P13 AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from TUC, 72 miles away
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.