Wells VARIEZE N66WR

Summary

On 5 January 1989 at about 18:00 local time, a Wells VARIEZE registered N66WR, operated by Wilson, Duane A., was involved in an accident near MacOn, Missouri, 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

5 January 1989 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

MacOn, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

39.7306, -92.4692

Aircraft

Wells VARIEZE

Registration

N66WR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Wilson, Duane A.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Peoria → Kansas City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

MKC89DCG02

1 person died.

CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE ABOVE OBSTACLES. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: LOW CEILING, FOG, RAIN, PILOT DELAYING FLIGHT TO AN ALTERNATE DESTINATION, HIS LACK OF RECENT FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, HIS LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE TYPE OF AIRCRAFT, AND TREES.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE ACFT & WAS FERRYING IT FROM ALLEGAN, MI, TO HIS HOME ARPT AT KANSAS CITY, MO. AN EN ROUTESTOP WAS MADE AT PEORIA, IL, WHERE HE REFUELED & CHECKED THE WX. AT PEORIA, FBO PSNL NOTED HE HAD FUEL ON THE SEAT OF HIS PANTS. HE SAID FUEL HAD GOTTEN ON HIS SEAT CUSHION FROM A LEAK AT THE TOP OF A FUEL SIGHT GAUGE (NEAR THE AFT SEAT).HE HAD THE ACFT REFUELED IN A LVL ATTITUDE (RATHER THAN THE USUAL NOSE LOW ATTITUDE) TO KEEP FUEL FROM LEAKING FROM THE GAUGE. BFR DEPG ON THE 2ND LEG OF THE FLT, THE PLT COMMENTED HE WOULD LIKE TO BEAT THE WX TO HIS HOME. DRG FLT, THE ACFTHIT A TREE, WHILE ON A NNW HDG NR MACON, MO, THEN CRASHED & BURNED. IT WAS FND ON 5/5/89. INV REVEALED THERE WAS A LOW CEILING IN THE AREA. APRX 24 MI NORTH AT KIRKSVILLE, MO, THE WX WAS IN PART: 500' OVC, 2 MI VIS WITH LIGHT RAIN & FOG. EXCEPT FOR THE RPRTD FUEL LEAK, NO EVIDENCE WAS FND OF A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. BEFORE THE PLT LEFT ALLEGAN,HE HAD NO PREVIOUS FLT TIME IN THIS MAKE & MODEL OF ACFT & HAD NOT LOGGED ANY FLT TIME SINCE 8/10/88.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.