Amateur-built VARIEZE accident near Clarinda, Iowa, July 27, 1984
On July 27, 1984 at about 5:05 pm local time, a amateur-built VARIEZE, registered N4229G, was destroyed in an accident near Clarinda, Iowa (Schenck Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1984 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Clarinda, Iowa · Schenck Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARIEZE
- Registration
- N4229G · no longer on the register · serial 425
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED A GROUND RUN OF APRX 2000 FT BEFORE LIFT-OFF WAS ACHIEVED AFTER WHICH THE ACFT APPEARED TO CLIMB LABORIOUSLY TO ABOUT 100 FT AGL. ACFT THEN EXECUTED STEEP, DESCENDING RT TURN OF ABOUT 240 DEGREES BACK TOWARD THE ARPT.ACFT COLLIDED WITH PWR LINE ABOUT 25 FT AGL THEN CONTINUED APRX 100 FT INTO A CINDER BLOCK STRUCTURE. ACFT DISINTEGRATED ON IMPACT WITH STRUCTURE. WT AND BALANCE CALCULATIONS SHOW ACFT 200 LBS OVER MAX GROSS WIEGHT. ENG TEARDOWN DISCLOSED LOW COMPRESSION ON ALL CYLS, OIL FILTER CONTAINED METAL PARTICLES, EXCESSIVE WEAR ON REAR CAMSHAFT BEARING OBSERVED AND EVIDENCE OF CRANKSHAFT OIL SEAL SPINNING IN CRANKCASE. NO. 1 AND NO. 3 TOP SPARK PLUGS WERE LEAD FOULED AND WOULD NOT FIRE DURING TESTING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 214 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.