Homebuilt NONE UNREG

Summary

On 14 May 1983 at about 16:00 local time, a Homebuilt NONE registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Tracy, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

14 May 1983 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Tracy, California, United States

Nearest airport

Tracy Municipal (036)

Coordinates

37.7304, -121.4193

Aircraft

Homebuilt NONE

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

LAX83FU003

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 PLT HAD BUILT THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE AT HOME BY USING THE PLANS OF A WEEDHOPPER. REPORTEDLY, HE HAD USED MATERIALS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SIMILAR TO OR STRONGER THAN THOSE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED BY A WEEDHOPPER KIT. A FRIEND, WHO HAD FLOWN THE VEHICLE, STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXTREMELY WELL BUILT & HE ENJOYED FLYING IT. PRIOR TO THE FATAL FLT, THE OWNER HAD TAXIED THE ULTRALIGHT, BUT HAD NEVER FLOWN IT NOR ANY OTHER KNOWN ACFT. ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, HE REPORTLY SAID 'WELL, I HAD THIS PLANE FOR 6 MONTHS. TODAY, EITHER I AM GOING TO FLY IT OR SELL IT.' AFTER TAKING OFF, HE CLIMBED TO APRX 200 TO 300 FT & WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A LEFT TURN. AFTER ENTERING THE TURN, THE VEHICLE ENTERED A STEEP, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE & CRASHED. NO EVIDENCE OF AN ENG POWER LOSS OR PREIMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURE WAS EVIDENT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.