Atkinson VARIEZE N3LV

Summary

On 17 August 1996 at about 23:28 local time, a Atkinson VARIEZE registered N3LV was involved in an accident near Glendale, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 August 1996 at 23:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Glendale, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.5305, -112.1800

Aircraft

Atkinson VARIEZE

Registration

N3LV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96LA311

Nobody was injured.

The fracture and separation of the mixture control cable housing from the carburetor mounting bracket, which resulted in fuel starvation due to an overlean condition, and the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while stretching the glide to the field which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush and a hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that after departure he headed toward a nearby USAF base to make a low approach to their runway. After receiving a clearance to enter the base airspace the pilot turned toward the airbase and applied full throttle. Shortly after that, the engine suddenly quit, restarted briefly, then quit altogether. The pilot said he set up for a forced landing in a vacant field and was just able to make the field but the aircraft landed hard. The landing gear broke and separated from the aircraft, then it cartwheeled. The engine and airframe were inspected by an FAA airworthiness inspector who reported that he found the mixture cable housing broken where it entered the securing bracket to the carburetor. The cable would pull the mixture lever to the idle cutoff position but would not push the lever toward the rich position. The inspector further noted that the cable, which appeared to be a bicycle or motorcycle part, was too short for the application.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.