- Date
- April 13, 1985, 11:03 local (18:03 UTC)
- Place
- Erie, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- UNREGUltralight Flight Phantom II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 16563
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 ultralight descended uncontrolled to ground impact following a failure of the outboard forward wing support cable/swage. Witnesses reported the ultralight turned from north to south and upon leveling out, the left wing snapped upward, the right wing collapsed and the ultralight entered a diving turn to the ground. Post accident tests disclosed all 4 cable ass'y were manufactured with the nicropress oval m sleeve but were swaged with the wrong swaging tool (slightly larger) for the oval p. the cable showed evidence of failure at the nicropress swaged connections. Tensile tests revealed the improperly swaged connections failed prematurely due to slippage at the connections.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Ultralight Flight Phantom II
- Category
- Ultralight, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 12
- Engine
- Rotax 503 2-CYCLE, 46 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Leonard Marnewecke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- 48V · Erie Airpark, CO
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg