Amateur-built VARI-EZE accident near Tucson, Arizona, December 18, 1998
On December 18, 1998 at about 3:15 pm local time, a amateur-built VARI-EZE, registered N81EZ, was destroyed in an accident near Tucson, Arizona. 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
The pilot's failure to attain and maintain an adequate flying airspeed during the aircraft's maiden flight, which resulted in a stall/mush condition. Also causal was the pilot/builder's decision to modify the engine and the fuel system control microchip, which resulted in detonation and a severe reduction in power output, and led directly to the pilot's inability to attain and maintain airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1998 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARI-EZE
- Registration
- N81EZ · registry record · serial 00001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was the maiden flight in the aircraft, and during construction, the pilot made numerous design modifications to the airplane which had changed the flight and performance characteristics. Instead of the airplane's engines recommended by the designer, the pilot had installed a GM Geo Metro automobile engine, which the pilot altered by the addition of a Mitsubishi turbocharger. The pilot also altered the fuel computer chip to adjust the fuel flow, attempting to achieve a 2-gallon-per-hour consumption rate. The pilot told associates that the engine produced 78 hp at 4,800 rpm. Engine technical data showed the actual power output of the unmodified engine to be 79 hp at 6,000 rpm. Severe detonation was found in the engine during postaccident examination and it is believed that it most likely would produce only 55 percent of rated power. Following takeoff, witnesses saw the aircraft in a nose high attitude and it never achieved more than 100 feet agl. Some witnesses said the nose attitude was as high as 15 to 20 degrees just before the crash. The pilot radioed that he was having a problem and said he had to put the aircraft down. The airplane collided with a tree during the attempted forced landing and a postcrash fire consumed the wreckage.
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: 900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Gm Geo Metro 1.3 LITER (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RYN at 3:12 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from RYN
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.