- Date
- July 15, 1985, 19:15 local (Jul 16, 1985, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Statesville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N74VPFain Evans VP-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850715057029A
- Case key
- 6669
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.
Analysis
The unregistered expired certificated newly purchased experimental acft was being flown by the student plt owner on his 1st flt in the acft. The acft was seen to takeoff and make a right turn after which it descended into tall trees. Witness reported hearing normal eng sounds prior to impact. A friend of the plt stated the plt probably had not accumulated more than 20-25 hrs flt time in the last 4 yrs. He continued to state he had flown the acft on the previous day and it performed normally but the controls were very sensitive and the plt had never flown an acft with a stick instead of a control yoke.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N74VP
- Reported as
- Fain Evans VP-1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- N74VP
- Engine
- Volkswagen 1600, 55 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Russell A. Reeves
- Airport
- NC15 · Raeford, runway 2, 2,500 × 200 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.