- Date
- September 1, 1982, 18:10 local (Sep 2, 1982, 02:10 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N78EVFalkenthal Varieze
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 72148
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 final approach the acft suddenly pitched down about 45 deg & crashed into a duck pond containing approximately 4-5 ft of water. During examination of the wreckage it was noted a bolt was missing that secures the elevator control stick, at the bellcrank, to the push-pull rod that extends to & operates the elevators attached to the canard. The plt stated that prior to this flt he had put in a new instrument panel during which the canard had been removed. He could not remember torquing the nut attaching the elevator push-pull rod to the bellcrank when he reinstalled the canard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78EV
- Reported as
- Falkenthal Varieze
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- RAF 1803
- Airframe hours
- 46
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert J. Falkenthal
- Registered owner
- Robert J. Falkenthal
- Departed
- L67 · Rialto, CA
- Destination
- Burbank, CA
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto, runway 30, 2,500 × 65 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 270 total · 46 in this make and model · 152 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 20° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Observed at
- PAO