Amateur-built Vari-Eze accident near Tooele, Utah, September 2, 2007
On September 2, 2007 at about 3:15 pm local time, a amateur-built Vari-Eze, registered N547DB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tooele, Utah (Tooele Valley Field). 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 loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. Contributing factors were the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing and the wind shear conditions encountered during the forced landing attempt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 2007 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Tooele, Utah · Tooele Valley Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Vari-Eze
- Registration
- N547DB · no longer on the register · serial 1272001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that as he approached his destination, he noticed a large thunderstorm over the airport. He said that his wingman elected to land, but radioed back to him that it was very bumpy. The pilot said that his first two attempts at landing ended with go-arounds due to severe turbulence. On his third attempt, he lost engine power and selected a field for a forced landing. During the forced landing, he encountered severe wind shear (downdraft) on two occasions. During his landing flare, the airplane's main landing gear impacted a ditch and separated from the fuselage. Photographs of the wreckage indicate that the outboard right wing skin had delaminated from the spar and both wing root areas exhibited visible cracks in the upper wing skin. An aerospace engineer from the National Transportation Safety Board said the cracks above the main spar carry through structure indicate hidden damage in the spar. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector and the pilot examined the airplane in the field. They identified no abnormalities with the engine; the reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.
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: 252 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 583 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KNB Kanab UT at 2:18 pm
- Destination: TVY Tooele UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 6,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; a few clouds at 850 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from SLC, 18 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.