Amateur-built VARIEZE accident near Brainard, Nebraska, June 16, 1990
On June 16, 1990 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built VARIEZE, registered N3KJ, was destroyed in an accident near Brainard, Nebraska. 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
PILOT USED POOR JUDGEMENT IN ATTEMPTING AEROBATICS WITH INADEQUATE ALTITUDE WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE A LOW PASS PERFORMED, OVER CONFIDENCE IN PERSONAL ABILITY AND OSTENTATIOUS DISPLAY BY THE PIC.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1990 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brainard, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VARIEZE
- Registration
- N3KJ · no longer on the register · serial 848
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER MAKING A LOW, HIGH SPEED PASS, OVER A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP, THE HOMEBUILT ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO PULL UP, ROLL TO THE LEFT ABOUT 180 DEGREES TO AN INVERTED ATTITUDE, THEN DESCEND ALMOST VERTICALLY TO THE TERRAIN. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OR DEFECTS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,883 hours in all; 269 in this make and model; 2,537 as pilot in command; 33 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 C2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLE Omaha NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from OLU, 23 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.