What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Experimental vari-eze acft was on its initial flight and the pilot intended to keep the acft in the right closed traffic, the acft departed from rwy 6 and crashed approximately 3 miles due east of the tower. (.19)on December 18, 1998, at 0815 hours mountain standard time, a experimental parkman vari-eze, N81EZ, collided with a mesquite tree during a forced landing attempt in the desert just east of ryan field, Tucson, Arizona. The aircraft which was constructed and owned by the pilot, was destroyed during the impact sequence and subsequent postcrash fire. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight. The pilot had just departed ryan field for the maiden flight in the aircraft when he contacted the control tower and told them that he had a problem and that he "had to put it down here." Air traffic controllers who were interviewed after the crash stated that the aircraft did not appear to gain much altitude, only achieveing about 100 feet of altitude above the terrain. (.4)this was the maiden flight in the aircraft, and during construction, the pilot made numerous design modifications to the airplane which had changed the flight and performance characteristics. Instead of the airplane's engines recommended by the designer, the pilot had installed a gm geo metro automobile engine, which the pilot altered by the addition of a mitsubishi turbocharger. The pilot also altered the fuel computer chip to adjust the fuel flow, attempting to achieve a 2-gallon-PER-hour consumption rate. The pilot told associates that the engine produced 78 HP at 4,800 RPM. Engine technical data showed the actual power output of the unmodified engine to be 79 HP at 6,000 RPM. Severe detonation was found in the engine during postaccident examination and it is believed that it most likely would produce only 55 percent of rated power. Following takeoff, witnesses saw the aircraft in a nose high attitude and it never achieved more than 100 feet AGL. Some witnesses said the nose attitude was as high as 15 to 20 degrees just before the crash. The pilot radioed that he was having a problem and said he had to put the aircraft down. The airplane collided with a tree during t he attempted forced landing and a postcrash fire consumed the wreckage.
As the FAA filed it
EXPERIMENTAL VARI-EZE ACFT WAS ON ITS INITIAL FLIGHT AND THE PILOT INTENDED TO KEEP THE ACFT IN THE RIGHT CLOSED TRAFFIC, THE ACFT DEPARTED FROM RWY 6 AND CRASHED APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES DUE EAST OF THE TOWER. (.19)ON DECEMBER 18, 1998, AT 0815 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A EXPERIMENTAL PARKMAN VARI-EZE, N81EZ, COLLIDED WITH A MESQUITE TREE DURING A FORCED LANDING ATTEMPT IN THE DESERT JUST EAST OF RYAN FIELD, TUCSON, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT WHICH WAS CONSTRUCTED AND OWNED BY THE PILOT, WAS DESTROYED DURING THE IMPACT SEQUENCE AND SUBSEQUENT POSTCRASH FIRE. THE PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT. THE PILOT HAD JUST DEPARTED RYAN FIELD FOR THE MAIDEN FLIGHT IN THE AIRCRAFT WHEN HE CONTACTED THE CONTROL TOWER AND TOLD THEM THAT HE HAD A PROBLEM AND THAT HE "HAD TO PUT IT DOWN HERE." AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS WHO WERE INTERVIEWED AFTER THE CRASH STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT APPEAR TO GAIN MUCH ALTITUDE, ONLY ACHIEVEING ABOUT 100 FEET OF ALTITUDE ABOVE THE TERRAIN. (.4)THIS WAS THE MAIDEN FLIGHT IN THE AIRCRAFT, AND DURING CONSTRUCTION, THE PILOT MADE NUMEROUS DESIGN MODIFICATIONS TO THE AIRPLANE WHICH HAD CHANGED THE FLIGHT AND PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS. INSTEAD OF THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINES RECOMMENDED BY THE DESIGNER, THE PILOT HAD INSTALLED A GM GEO METRO AUTOMOBILE ENGINE, WHICH THE PILOT ALTERED BY THE ADDITION OF A MITSUBISHI TURBOCHARGER. THE PILOT ALSO ALTERED THE FUEL COMPUTER CHIP TO ADJUST THE FUEL FLOW, ATTEMPTING TO ACHIEVE A 2-GALLON-PER-HOUR CONSUMPTION RATE. THE PILOT TOLD ASSOCIATES THAT THE ENGINE PRODUCED 78 HP AT 4,800 RPM. ENGINE TECHNICAL DATA SHOWED THE ACTUAL POWER OUTPUT OF THE UNMODIFIED ENGINE TO BE 79 HP AT 6,000 RPM. SEVERE DETONATION WAS FOUND IN THE ENGINE DURING POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION AND IT IS BELIEVED THAT IT MOST LIKELY WOULD PRODUCE ONLY 55 PERCENT OF RATED POWER. FOLLOWING TAKEOFF, WITNESSES SAW THE AIRCRAFT IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE AND IT NEVER ACHIEVED MORE THAN 100 FEET AGL. SOME WITNESSES SAID THE NOSE ATTITUDE WAS AS HIGH AS 15 TO 20 DEGREES JUST BEFORE THE CRASH. THE PILOT RADIOED THAT HE WAS HAVING A PROBLEM AND SAID HE HAD TO PUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING T HE ATTEMPTED FORCED LANDING AND A POSTCRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE WRECKAGE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.