Vans Safety Record
Complete NTSB accident and incident history. 172 events recorded from 1988 to 2026.
| Date | Location | Reg# | Severity | Damage | Probable Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2019 | Ridgefield, WA | N90LK | Fatal (2) | substantial | The pilots' inadvertent exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack following an inflight collision with a bird. |
| Apr 27, 2019 | Chandler, OK | N621L | Incident | substantial | The pilot's overapplication of the brakes during landing on a grass runway, which resulted in a nose-over. |
| Apr 18, 2019 | Brookings, OR | N791PF | Fatal (2) | substantial | The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during an aggressive maneuver that resulted in a nose down collision with terrain. |
| Apr 14, 2019 | Wall, SD | N277E | Minor | substantial |
The pilot's improper decision to depart from a slush-covered runway, which resulted in a loss of directional control, a runway excursion, and a subseq…The pilot's improper decision to depart from a slush-covered runway, which resulted in a loss of directional control, a runway excursion, and a subsequent nose-over. |
| Jan 12, 2019 | Langley, WA | N800KE | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in an aerodynamic s…The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery. |
| Dec 25, 2018 | Watkins, CO | N711KJ | Incident | destroyed |
The pilot’s failure to apply adequate torque to a fuel line during recent maintenance, which allowed the line to loosen in flight and fuel to enter th…The pilot’s failure to apply adequate torque to a fuel line during recent maintenance, which allowed the line to loosen in flight and fuel to enter the hot engine compartment and resulted in an in-flight fire that consumed the airplane. |
| Nov 17, 2018 | Niceville, FL | N232VA | Fatal (1) | substantial |
A partial loss of engine power during initial climb for undetermined reasons, and pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a turn back to the runwa…A partial loss of engine power during initial climb for undetermined reasons, and pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a turn back to the runway, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, and subsequent aerodynamic stall. |
| Nov 10, 2018 | Ramona, CA | N5433T | Incident | destroyed | The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. |
| Nov 07, 2018 | Meraaker, NO | LN-AAL | Fatal (2) | substantial | Investigation pending |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Culpeper, VA | N804RL | Fatal (1) | destroyed |
The pilot's loss of attitude orientation while maneuvering at low altitude in dark night visual meteorological conditions, which resulted in impact wi…The pilot's loss of attitude orientation while maneuvering at low altitude in dark night visual meteorological conditions, which resulted in impact with terrain. |
| Oct 09, 2018 | Cape Girardeau, MO | N451JP | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The pilot's improper landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, his failure to conduct a go-around, and his failure to maintain directional contro…The pilot's improper landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, his failure to conduct a go-around, and his failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a runway departure and nose-over. |
| Sep 26, 2018 | Austin, AR | N534MM | Fatal (1) | substantial |
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an accele…The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an accelerated stall. |
| Sep 24, 2018 | Heber City, UT | N823HE | Incident | substantial | The pilot's loss of directional control during the landing roll and his subsequent attempted go-around. |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Carson, NV | N289MM | Incident | substantial |
The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control in gusting, right …The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control in gusting, right quartering tailwind conditions. |
| Aug 23, 2018 | Spring Branch, TX | N110DV | Minor | substantial |
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper glidepath and his subsequent abrupt maneuver to avoid trees, which led to the exceedance of the airplane's …The pilot's failure to maintain the proper glidepath and his subsequent abrupt maneuver to avoid trees, which led to the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and resulted in an aerodynamic stall during landing and a subsequent loss of directional control. |
| Aug 04, 2018 | Greeley, CO | N56LK | Serious (1) | substantial | The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. |
| Jul 28, 2018 | Holland, MI | N899RV | Incident | substantial | The pilot’s failure to maintain yaw control during a go-around. |
| Jul 28, 2018 | Pickens, SC | N24CM | Incident | substantial | The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing. |
| Jul 24, 2018 | Princeton, MN | N20342 | Serious (2) | substantial | A flat nosewheel tire, which resulted in the pilot’s inability to maintain directional control on landing. |
| Jul 20, 2018 | Coldwater, KS | N306FR | Serious (2) | substantial | The pilot's loss of control while landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane in gusting wind conditions. |
| Jun 07, 2018 | Butler, PA | N7765X | Minor | substantial |
The pilot's improper decision to fly the airplane with a known engine problem and his improper modification of the engine control unit fuel delivery s…The pilot's improper decision to fly the airplane with a known engine problem and his improper modification of the engine control unit fuel delivery software, which led to the engine running too lean and resulted in a total loss of engine power during climb. |
| May 19, 2018 | Hanover Park, IL | N667AZ | Minor | substantial | A partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff due to water contamination of the fuel system. |
| Sep 29, 2017 | Itasca, TX | N712RL | Incident | substantial |
The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustio…The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. |
| Sep 19, 2017 | Stafsberg, NO | LN-ABF | Fatal (2) | destroyed | Investigation pending |
| Aug 07, 2016 | Shelbyville, KY | N924WZ | Serious (1) | substantial | The partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to effectively use carburetor heat. |