- Date
- August 14, 1984, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- South Boston, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- UNREGUltralight Flight Phantom
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11111
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt arrived at the arpt about 1530 for a demo flt & possible purchase of a phantom ultralight. The FBO had the plt fly a C-152 from the right seat to familiarize the plt to fly with the control stick on the right & the throttle on the left since this is the way the phantom is configured. Four takeoffs & landings were performed during the 30 min flt. The plt then took off in the phantom & flew 10-15 min in the local area before re-entering the traffic pattern. On short final, 20-50 ft AGL, the ultralight was observed to porpoise slightly a few times. It then dove nose down at a 30-45 deg angle onto the grass rwy. The plt later stated he was executing a go-around & his natural reflex action was toadvance the throttle with his right hand.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Ultralight Flight Phantom
- Category
- Ultralight
- Serial number
- 381
- Airframe hours
- 25
- Engine
- Kawasaki TA440A, 37 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 103
- Registered owner
- Watkins Aviation
- Airport
- W78 · William M. Tuck, runway 23, 3,000 × 300 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 1 in this make and model · 240 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F