- Date
- July 9, 1985, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Albemarle, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N450ZWilliam G. Cloaninger VARI-EZE
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850709033999A
- Case key
- 6827
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
During the initial climb after takeoff, the eng lost power as the plt made a left turn. He tried to glide back to the rwy, but was unable. The acft was landed in a field about 300 yds short of the rwy. During the landing, all 3 gear were torn off the acft, and the fuselage, a fuel tank & the canopy were cracked. The plt stated that the accident was caused by water in the carburetor. Also he stated that he had checked both fuel tanks before he took off; after the acdnt, he checked the fuel bowl & it was full of water.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N450Z
- Reported as
- William G. Cloaninger VARI-EZE
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 245481059
- Airframe hours
- 26
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William G. Cloaninger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 1985 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- 6A6
- Airport
- 6A6 · Stanley County, runway 4, 4,400 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 235 total · 26 in this make and model · 185 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °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.