NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN83LA002
Registry · N204Z
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
TRAVEL AIR MFG CO 2000
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1A31E
Registrant of record
ZEILER RICHARD TRUSTEE
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
PILOT WAS PRACTICING MANEUVERS FOR CERTIFICATION TEST. HE SAID HE MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING DUE TO SUSPECTED ENGINE TROUBLE AND A FIRE STARTED UNDER THE AIRCRAFT IN THE GRASS. HE EXITED THE AIRCRAFT BUT LEFT BATTERY AND RADIO ON. THIS INVESTIGATION INCLUDED REFERENCES TO SABOTAGE FROM A FORMER EMPLOYER, TO ARSON BY THE PILOT. PILOT WAS GIVEN A LIE DETECTION TEST WHICH DID NOT CLEAR HIM. PILOT HAD ALSO LEFT EMERGENCY FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE OPEN. PILOT WAS TESTED IN THE ARSON INVESTIGATION BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN OVERHEARD IN REMARKS "ITS OKAY IF IT BURNS. WE HAVE PLENTY OF INSURANCE" AND "THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO A HELICOPTER IS THAT IT BURN ITSELF UP". NO EVIDENCE WAS RECEIVED FOR IGNITION SOURCE OR FUEL SOURCE BECAUSE OF CONDITION OF WRECKAGE. SOME OF THE PERTINENT VALVES AND LINES WERE DESTROYED. BOTH FUELTANKS WERE INTACT BUT EMPTY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1982_DEN83LA002.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (icing). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Contractor Report (CR)
Icing Physics Studies Using the 3D SIDRM Test Article: 2023 Icing Tests Analysis
In-flight icing is an important safety issue and is a factor that affects aircraft design and performance. Newer regulations are driving a need for improvements in airframe and engine icing simulation…
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for UAV-Assisted 5G Network Slicing: A Comparative Study of MAPPO, MADDPG, and MADQN
The growing demand for robust, scalable wireless networks in the 5G-and-beyond era has led to the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as mobile base stations to enhance coverage in dense urb…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
A Mathematical Model on the Temporal Dynamics of Aviation Competitive Pricing
This study investigates the competitive dynamics of airport pricing using U.S. airport data to validate the findings. It employs linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equation models to analyze t…
- NASA NTRS 2025 · Presentation
NASA Icing Update – March 2025
This NASA Icing Update was prepared for presentation to the SAE International AC-9C Inflight Icing Technology Committee. This update includes the following topics: planned Rotational Icing Scaling tes…
- arXiv 2024 · arXiv preprint
An energy-stable phase-field model for droplet icing simulations
A phase-field model for three-phase flows is established by combining the Navier-Stokes (NS) and the energy equations, with the Allen-Cahn (AC) and Cahn-Hilliard (CH) equations and is demonstrated ana…
- NASA NTRS 2024 · Presentation
NASA Icing Update – Oct 2024
This presentation provides a status update on select NASA icing research activities for the SAE AC-9C Icing Technical Committee Meeting on Oct 21, 2024.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗