Devore Sunbird 100 N100VL
18 April 1987 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 April 1987 at about 14:00 local time, a Devore Sunbird 100 registered N100VL was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 14:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.1106, -106.5799
- Aircraft
- Devore Sunbird 100
- Registration
- N100VL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Albuquerque → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN87LA104
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNED PROTOTYPE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN ON ITS FIRST FLT. THE ACFT TOOK OFF AND FLEW IN GROUND EFFECT BEYOND THE ARPT BOUNDARY. AT FULL PWR, THE ACFT COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND DESCENDED UNCONTROLLED TO AN IMPACT WITH THE TERRAIN. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER. ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THE ACFT WAS 950 LBS GW WITH A 60 HP ENG. AS THIS PROTOTYPE WAS EQUIPPED ITS CLIMB RATE WAS A MINUS 75 FT/MIN. IN A POST FLT TEST THE INVOLVED ENG PRODUCED LESS THAN 40 HP. THE ACC PLT STEPPED INTO THE PROGRAM 10 DAYS BEFORE THE ACC AFTER THE ORIGINAL CONTRACTED TEST PLT QUIT. THE TEST WAS FLOWN IN SPITE OF SOME OF THE TECHNICIANS SKEPTICISM OF SUCCESS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Janet L. Hodges | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1987 | Rockwell 690B | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1987 | Aerostar S-66A | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Alpine Adventures | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Oct 1987 | Piper PA-28-140 | Lordsburg, New Mexico, United States | William Coker | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Oct 1987 | Piper PA-24-260C | Timberon, New Mexico, United States | Blesius, Cornelius | Serious injuries | - |