- Date
- February 9, 1986, 16:30 local (Feb 10, 1986, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Los Almos, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N36RJRutan Varieze
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860209017759A
- Case key
- 25272
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 acft collided with a fence during a forced landing on a hiway after the engine lost power while cruising at 6500 ft MSL. The plt had refueled with 10 gals of fuel at santa barbara, CA his last departure point. Post acc exam showed the fuel tanks, lines and carburetor empty of fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N36RJ
- Reported as
- Rutan Varieze
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 130
- Airframe hours
- 320
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard N. Link
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 10, 1985 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- SBA · Santa Barbara
- Destination
- SJC · San Jose, CA
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
- 74
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 35 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °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.
Other investigations on N36RJ · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.