- Date
- July 1, 1992, 13:12 local (18:12 UTC)
- Place
- Chanute, KS
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N18VLVirgil Larson Varieze,LONG EZ
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920701023109A
- Case key
- 15228
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A delamination and inflight separation of a propeller blade during cruise flight.
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 accident airplane developed a severe vibration during cruise flight. The magnitude of the vibration varied with the power setting. The pilot suspected a broken propeller or engine mount. He elected to land in a pasture. During the landing roll the airplane collided with a hidden obstruction. A post accident inspection found all engine mounts intact. The wooden propeller broke during the ground impact. Both fiber glass covers for the propeller tips were recovered. Only one cover had wood attached to it.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N18VL
- Reported as
- Virgil Larson Varieze,LONG EZ (VARIEZE,LO)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Tad T. Hervas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1992 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- FWS · Ft. Worth, TX
- Destination
- TOP · Topeka, KS
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 120 total · 15 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 17 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CNU, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.