- Date
- November 13, 1991, 14:03 local (19:03 UTC)
- Place
- Erie, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N12VVWillkins-Wayne VARI-VIGGEN
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911113051119A
- Case key
- 37030
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 lost control of the airplane at too low an altitude to recover. Factors related to the accident were the pilot's low time and experience in this type of airplane.
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
A witness saw the airplane turning base to final. While in the turn the airplane started to oscillate in both pitch and roll, and then went into a dive. The pilot recovered at a low altitude, the airplane pitched up and started to roll to the right. Just prior to impact the witness saw the airplane nose low, and in a right turn before it impacted. There were no records found to indicate the pilot had any experience with type of airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12VV
- Reported as
- Willkins-Wayne VARI-VIGGEN (VARI-VIGGE)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 208
- Airframe hours
- 69
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- George Jacoby
- Registered owner
- George Jacoby
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 22, 1991 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- ERI · Erie, PA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 599 total · 1 in this make and model · 499 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ERI, 2 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.