Amateur-built VariEze accident near Perkasie, Pennsylvania, October 7, 2006
On October 7, 2006 at about 8:55 pm local time, a amateur-built VariEze, registered N46RC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Perkasie, Pennsylvania (Elephant Path Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive rotation on takeoff, which resulted in a propeller blade strike, and subsequent forced landing to a field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2006 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Perkasie, Pennsylvania · Elephant Path Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VariEze
- Registration
- N46RC · no longer on the register · serial 108
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of an amateur-built VariEze airplane performed an emergency landing to a field, after the propeller blades disintegrated during the initial climb. According to the pilot, the airplane accelerated normally during the takeoff roll, and after rotation, its rate-of-climb decreased significantly. He decided to land in a field off the end of the runway. The airplane landed, rolled about 50 feet, and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage. A post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed propeller strike marks on the runway, about the pilot's stated point-of-rotation, as well as propeller fragments near the strike marks.
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: 278 hours in all; 131 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 227 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,146.2 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PS03 Perkasie PA at 8:55 pm
- Destination: PS03 Perkasie PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 2,750 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from KDYL, 7 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.