Amateur-built BEDE 4 accident near Kent, Washington, June 21, 1986
On June 21, 1986 at about 9:50 pm local time, a amateur-built BEDE 4, registered N76VR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kent, Washington (Crest Airpark airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1986 · about 9:50 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Kent, Washington · Crest Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BEDE 4
- Registration
- N76VR · registry record · serial 386
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENGINE CEASED OPERATING 10 FEET A.G.L. DURING TAKEOFF WHILE ON A BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW. A LANDING STRAIGHT AHEAD WAS MADE ONTO THE RUNWAY, BUT IN ORDER TO AVOID AN OVERRUN AN INTENTIONAL GROUND LOOP WAS MADE. ON ENGINE EXAMINATION A LARGE BUG WAS FOUND IMPACTED IN THE NEWLY INSTALLED FUEL METER WHICH THE PILOT HAD INSTALLED JUST PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 1,110 in this make and model; 1,005 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,267 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N76VR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N76VR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 1,069 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Crest Airfield · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,644 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N76VR 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA86LA149.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.