Lambert John G VARIEZE N8VE

Summary

On 3 October 2007 at about 22:18 local time, a Lambert John G VARIEZE registered N8VE, operated by Jefrey M. Arnold, was involved in an accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 October 2007 at 22:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Chesapeake Regional Airport (CPK)

Coordinates

36.6594, -76.3189

Aircraft

Lambert John G VARIEZE

Registration

N8VE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Jefrey M. Arnold

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chesapeake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC08LA001

1 person died.

A loss of control in flight for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner's girlfriend stated that the purpose of the flight was to test the speed brake installed in the amateur-built airplane. She quoted the pilot as saying that during the first hour he owned the airplane, he tried the speed brake and it really scared him. He had since accumulated 70 total hours in the airplane and was going to try the speed brake again. Witnesses described watching the accident airplane taxi from its hangar and then listening to the pilot announce the takeoff, crosswind, and downwind legs of the traffic pattern over the Unicom frequency. Seconds later, the witnesses heard a voice transmit cries for help. Other witnesses were traveling southbound along a divided highway, adjacent to the airport, in their car. They noticed the airplane flying erratically, at low altitude, as it paralleled their course on the west side of the highway. The airplane then crossed the roadway in front of their vehicle at low altitude, and circled back towards them before striking the ground on the east side of the roadway, scattering debris across all four lanes in a westerly direction. The witnesses' vehicle drove through and over wreckage as their vehicle was struck by flying debris. Examination of the wreckage and its components revealed no evidence of preimpact anomalies. The airplane's builder assisted the pilot/owner with a complete disassembly and annual inspection of the airplane about 1 year prior to the accident, with no mechanical, performance, or handling deficiencies noted with the speed brake stowed or deployed. The pilot/owner did not express any concerns to the builder about the speed brake, nor the handling characteristics of the airplane with the speed brake deployed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.