- Date
- July 23, 1990, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cincinnati, OH
- Injuries
- 4 serious; on the ground: 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N45DRDavid B. Robertson VARI-EZE
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900723028179A
- Case key
- 36540
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 power loss due to improper installation of a fuel line fitting and inadequate maintenance and inspection.
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
After takeoff, at aprx 300 ft AGL, the engine loss power. A forced landing was made into a race track parking lot, and the airplane struck wooden fences and a tree line. The engine had a history of running hot. A nylon fitting in the main fuel line was found to be cross threaded, and teflon tape had been used as a seal around the threads. The nylon fitting was loose, and the seal deteriorated which allowed air to be sucked into the line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45DR
- Reported as
- David B. Robertson VARI-EZE
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 614
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David B. Robertson
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,767 total · 512 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Observed at
- LUK, 3 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.