Teratorn TIERRA II UNREG
22 April 1984 · Chico, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 22 April 1984 at about 03:00 local time, a Teratorn TIERRA II registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Chico, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 03:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Chico, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.4594, -121.9301
- Aircraft
- Teratorn TIERRA II
- 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
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- LAX84FU026
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
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 ULTRALIGHT WAS BEING TEST FLOWN AFTER ALTERATIONS TO THE ACFT & ITS FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM. THE PLT PUT THE ACFT THROUGH SOME MANEUVERS AND DURING ONE OF THEM, DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES AS A CHANDELLE, THE ACFT NOSED DOWN & CRASHED INTOTHE GROUND. THE ACFT DOVE FROM ABOUT 300 FT AGL. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AN ELEVATOR CONTROL SEAT HORN HAD FAILED & SEPARATED IN FLT. PARTS OF THIS FAILED PART WERE NOT FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE. THIS CONTROL PART HAD BEEN MODIFIED WITH MORE SPACING WASHERS THAN REQUIRED WHICH INCREASED ITS TORSIONAL LOADING. AFTER THIS FAILURE, THE PLT HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE ACFT ELEVATOR.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Teratorn TIERRA accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1985 | Teratorn TIERRA II | Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Sep 1983 | Teratorn TIERRA II | Dallas, North Carolina, United States | Ultra Flight Corp. | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 1983 | Teratorn TIERRA | Pepin, Wisconsin, United States | Ernest Kamrath | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 Sep 1985 | Teratorn TIERRA II | Post Falls, Idaho, United States | Dale A. Carter | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Aug 1986 | Teratorn TIERRA 2 | Dixon, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1988 | Teratorn TIERRA II | Plevna, Kansas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jan 1984 | Cessna 401A | San Francisco, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1984 | Eipper QUICKSILVER MX | Thousand Oaks, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 1984 | Hughes 500C (369HS) | San Diego, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 1984 | Cessna 180J | Hayward, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1984 | Piper PA-31T | Concord, California, United States | - | Fatal | 6 |
| 5 Feb 1984 | Cessna 150M | Fremont, California, United States | Fremont Flying Service | No injuries | - |