- Date
- May 7, 1989, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Falcon, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N34VVGalbreath Variviggen
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890507010959A
- Case key
- 17552
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
The pilot's lack of familiarity with the control characteristics of this newly completed homebuilt. The pilot's failure to use proper control inputs and the lack of information provided by the aircraft kit manufacturer are considered as contributing factors to the accident.
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
This was the maiden flt for this newly completed homebuilt. It was also the first flt in this make/mdl for the plt. A witness reported that the acft went through several radical pitch changes immediately after lift off before nose diving into the ground near the departure end of the rwy. According to the designer of the acft, the rear mounted eng results in a nose down tendency during the takeoff roll and the stick must be held aft. After the acft becomes airborne and begins to accelerate the stick forces become normal. He said the company encourages plts to take an orientation ride with someone familiar with the acft prior to their first flt. The plt in this case had not had an orientation ride.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34VV
- Reported as
- Galbreath Variviggen
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 550
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Terry S. Galbreath
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 3, 1989
- Departed
- 00V
- Destination
- 00V
- Airport
- OOV · Meadowlake, runway 15, 4,150 × 30 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 191 total · 138 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.