Pterodactyl ASCENDER II UNREG
8 January 1984 · Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 8 January 1984 at about 20:10 local time, a Pterodactyl ASCENDER II registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Lawrenceville, Georgia, 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 20:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Pterodactyl ASCENDER II
- Registration
- UNREG
- Category
- Ultralight
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 103: Ultralight
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Snellville
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL84FU003
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 PLT TOOK OFF IN CONDITIONS OF TURBULENCE & GUSTY WINDS. WITNESSES REPORTED THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE PITCHED & ROLLED ERRATICALLY AFTER LIFT-OFF. THE PLT THEN MADE A RIGHT CLIMBING TURN TO A DOWNWIND HEADING & PROCEEDED OVER A TALL TREE LINE TOWARD A FIELD WHERE HE ULTIMATELY CRASHED. ONE WITNESS HEARD A 'POP', THEN LOOKED & SAW THE ACFT DESCENDING WITH THE WINGS FOLDED. OTHERS SAID THE WINGS FLEXED UPWARD 1ST, THEN THE ACFT FLIPPED OVER & THE WINGS REVERSED & FOLDED AROUND THE AIRFRAME. AN EXAM REVEALED UPWARD DEFORMATION OF THE CARARD, BUT IT HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE OF GROUND IMPACT. THE WINGS HAD EVIDENCE OF BOTH UPWARD & DOWNWARD BENDING. THE KINGPOST WAS BENT REARWARD & ITS TOP CAP WAS FOUND 175 FT FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. NO AIRSPEED INDICATOR WAS INSTALLED. THE MANUFACTURER REPORTED THAT AN AIRSPEED INDICATOR WAS REQUIRED TO JUDGE THE SPEED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, THAT THE MAX SPEED (VNE) WAS EASILY EXCEEDED & THAT THE FLIGHT CONTROLS BECAME EXTREMELY SENSITIVE AT HIGHER AIRSPEEDS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Pterodactyl ASCENDER accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1984 | Pterodactyl ASCENDER II | Palm Bay, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Jun 1983 | Pterodactyl ASCENDER II | Sumner, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Jul 1983 | Pterodactyl ASCENDER | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Oct 1983 | Pterodactyl ASCENDER II | Manvel, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1983 | Pterodactyl ASCENDER II+ | Haskell, Oklahoma, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Mar 1983 | Pterodactyl ASCENDER II | Lehighton, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 1984 | Cessna 150 | Jessup, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1984 | Cessna 172H | Fairburn, Georgia, United States | South Fulton Sky | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 1984 | Piper PA-28-140 | Augusta, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 1984 | Rotec RALLY 3 | Stockbridge, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 1984 | Haxton QUICKIE Q2 | Kennesaw, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1984 | Cessna 177B | Lafayette, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |