Intl Ultralight BANSHEE UNREG

Summary

On 21 May 1983 at about 15:30 local time, a Intl Ultralight BANSHEE registered UNREG was involved in an accident near St. George, Utah, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 May 1983 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

St. George, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Abandoned Air Strip

Coordinates

37.1793, -113.6002

Aircraft

Intl Ultralight BANSHEE

Registration

UNREG

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN83LU001

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

REPORTEDLY, THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE WAS ASSEMBLED AT AN ABANDONED ARPT, THEN WAS TEST FLOWN BY AN INTERNATIONAL ULTRALIGHT COMPANY SALESMAN. THE NON-RATED PLT, WHO WAS PLANNING TO BUY THE ULTRALIGHT, THEN FLEW THE VEHICLE TO FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF WITH ITS FLT CHARACTERISTICS. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT AFTER FLYING A SHORT TIME, THE PLT STARTED AN APCH TO LAND. WHEN THE ULTRALIGHT WAS ABOUT 50 TO 60 FT AGL, A WING FOLDED & THE VEHICLE CRASHED & BURNED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A STRUCTURAL CABLE HAD FAILED AT A SWEDGE FITTING. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF NON-UNIFORM CRIMPING OF THE SWEDGE FITTING. TWO TYPES OF FRACTURES WERE FOUND WHERE THE CABLE FAILED (SHEAR & DUCTILE). THE SHEAR FAILURE WAS PREDOMINANTLY LOCATED AT THE SURFACE OF 1 BUNDLE OF WIRE STRANDS AT THE SWEDGE FITTING. THE DUCTILE FRACTURES WERE NOTED ON THE REMAINING INTERNAL STRANDS. THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK WAS INSTALLED ABOVE THE PLT. ON IMPACT, IT RUPTURED & SPILLED FUEL ON THE PLT & HOT ENG. THE PLT RECEIVED FATAL BURNS; ULTRALIGHT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.