- Date
- September 21, 1987, 16:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lebanon, MO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N24GEEllsworth Varieze
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 34442
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 PIC was back-taxiing down rwy 18 with a planned dept to the north. The PIC stated that he applied brakes in order to modify his direction during the taxi, but the brake failed to compensate. The PIC further stated that he applied more pwr in an attempt to correct direction when the opened canopy fell down. The PIC grabbed the canopy in order to secure it and released control of the throttle. During this sequence the acft was increasing in speed towards an embankment. The PIC pulled back on the flt controls and the acft became airborne for a short distance, however, he stated that the acft had insufficient a/s to remain airborne and it descended to the ground. The acft then rolled a short distance, broke through a fence, crossed a ditch and a road, and finally crossed another ditch, coming to rest in an open field. The acft was subsequently destroyed by fire. Exam of the brakes did not reveal any evidence of a malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24GE
- Reported as
- Ellsworth Varieze
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 24
- Airframe hours
- 51
- Engine
- Continental C-90, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gary D. Ellsworth
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 1, 1987 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- LBO
- Destination
- Macomb, IL
- Airport
- LBO · Lebanon, runway 18, 5,000 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 250 total · 51 in this make and model · 225 as pilot in command · 51 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SGF, 42 nm away