Varga 2150A accident near Chandler, Arizona, November 22, 1998
On November 22, 1998 at about 4:28 pm local time, a Varga 2150A, registered N78114, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to perform an adequate preflight of the aircraft to ensure that adequate fuel was available for the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 1998 · about 4:28 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Varga 2150A
- Registration
- N78114 · no longer on the register · serial VAC-114-78
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had an engine failure while en route to his destination. He reported that there were no services available at the departure airport, and he did not perform a visual preflight check of the fuel tanks to determine quantity before departure. The engine failed approximately 8 miles from the airport, and the pilot made a forced landing in a residential farming area. The aircraft landed in a plowed field, proceeded to cross a road, hit a street sign, and finally hit a residential block wall. Upon examination, the fuel system continuity was established and a total of 4 ounces of fuel was found in the tanks and the lines.
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: 2,427 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 2,427 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,568 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 5, 1998; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,817 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E69 Payson AZ at 3:50 pm
- Destination: CHD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from PHX, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.