Rotec RALLY 2B ULTRALIGHT UNREG

Summary

On 13 April 1983 at about 14:15 local time, a Rotec RALLY 2B ULTRALIGHT registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Palm Bay, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

13 April 1983 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Palm Bay, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.0303, -80.5998

Aircraft

Rotec RALLY 2B ULTRALIGHT

Registration

UNREG

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Valkaria → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA83FU002

1 person died.

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

THE ROTEC RALLY 2B WAS AN UNREGISTERED ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE THAT HAD BEEN ASSEMBLED FROM A KIT. THE PLTS OF TWO OTHER ULTRALIGHT VEHICLES STATED THAT THEY WERE IN A VERY LOOSE FORMATION WITH THE ONE THAT HAD CRASHED. ACCORDING TO THEM, THEY WERE FLYING AT ABOUT 600 FT AGL WHEN THEY SAW THE RALLY 2B ENTER A LEFT TURN, THEN GO INTO A STEEP DIVE & CRASH. THEY OBSERVED THE WINGS FOLD UPWARD AFTER THE VEHICLE HAD LOST 100 TO 200 FT OF ALTITUDE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WITHIN ITS AUTHORIZED GROSS WT LIMITATION. THE FUEL CAPACITY WAS 3.5 GAL, BUT THE PLT HAD STRAPPED A 6 GAL AUXILIARY TANK ADJACENT TO HIS SEAT. IT WAS FOUND WITH APRX 4.5 GAL REMAINING. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE NOSE WIRE UPPER KING POST TANG HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE. THE FATIGUE CRACK HAD INITIATED NEXT TO A HOLE & HAD PROGRESSED ALMOST ENTIRELY THRU THE TANG. ALSO, THE UPPER RUDDER CLEVIS HAD FAILED WHERE A CRACK FROM HIGH STRESS FATIGUE HAD PROGRESSED THRU 20% OF THE PART.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.