- Date
- May 7, 1987, 18:45 local (May 8, 1987, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Renton, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N29ZRutan VARI-EZE
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 2, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870507012439A
- Case key
- 40621
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
While being hand propped the aircraft began to move. The pilot then attempted to climb inside the aircraft but the canopy had closed. The pilot held onto the aircraft and was dragged across the end of the runway. The aircraft struck a parked, unoccupied aircraft and then a fence before coming to rest. The pilot discovered that the parking brake was out of adjustment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29Z
- Reported as
- Rutan VARI-EZE
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1241
- Airframe hours
- 185
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard Hess
- Registered owner
- Richard Hess
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 1986
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 497 total · 172 in this make and model · 399 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.