De Malignon VARIEZE accident near Globe, AZ
On July 19, 1998, a De Malignon VARIEZE (airplane) was involved in an accident near Globe, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 19, 1998
- Place
- Globe, AZ
- Aircraft
- De Malignon VARIEZE · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.620°N, 110.700°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X10635
NTSB summary
On July 19, 1998, at 1138 hours mountain standard time, an experimental De Malignon VariEze, N77AX, lost engine power and struck utility lines while on decent for landing at the Globe-San Carlos Apache Regional Air Facility, southwest of Globe, Arizona. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight by the pilot/owner under the provisions 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona, at 0900 on the morning of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the destination and no flight plan was filed. Witnesses on the ground reported hearing the engine of the low-flying aircraft start and stop several times before the aircraft struck utility lines located about 2 miles west of the airport. After striking the wires, the engine surged, but the aircraft continued to the ground. The terrain at the accident site was hilly to mountainous. The Gila county sheriff's deputy who responded to the scene, reported seeing a wet stain on the ground near the right wing tank. The aircraft retriever reported that when he first lifted the aircraft, about 2 gallons of fuel leaked out of the left wing tank. He also reported that there was about 1 or 2 cups of fuel in the fuselage header tank. He stated that the color of the fuel was light yellow and it had an odor consistent with auto fuel. The pilot's last recorded logbook entry showed a flight on July 11, 1998, for a period of 1.7 hours in the accident aircraft. The airport man
Probable cause
fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to properly plan his flight with regard to his estimated flight time, planned descent(s), and the amount of usable fuel available and required in the fuselage tank. The pilot/builder's deviation from the aircraft plans, in that his aircraft did not employ a fuel boost pump and an engine driven fuel pump, as specified by the designer, was a factor in this
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
