- Date
- July 7, 1985, 09:58 local (14:58 UTC)
- Place
- Sylacauga, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N55VELett Varieze
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850707029849A
- Case key
- 6650
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical
Fuel system,vent - blocked(total)Cause
Fluid,fuel - starvation
Forced landing
On ground/water collision with object
Object - vehicle
Analysis
The acft contacted a pick-up truck on a highway during a forced landing following a loss of power shortly after takeoff. Post accident inspection of the acft disclosed that the fuel vent line was severly packed (blocked) with mud dobber material.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55VE
- Reported as
- Lett Varieze
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 677
- Airframe hours
- 13
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jack C Mitchell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 14, 1985 · 0 hours before
- Airport
- SCD · Lee Merkle Fld
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 507 total · 19 in this make and model · 342 as pilot in command · 66 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F
- Observed at
- ANB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.