- Date
- August 21, 1985, 10:05 local (15:05 UTC)
- Place
- Welsh, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N480AGAdvanced Technology Predator 480
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850821039789A
- Case key
- 21584
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 acft impacted the terrain in an uncontrolled descent during the initial takeoff climb. The plt reported that after takeoff at an alt of aprx 20 ft AGL, the acft rolled 20 to 25 degs to the right. After correcting for the roll, the plt stated, the acft settled to ground impact. Witnesses reported the grass airstrip used for takeoff contained 7 to 8 inch high grass and it was wet from a 2 inch rainfall on the previous day. A slight quartering tailwind was also reported to have been present at the time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N480AG
- Reported as
- Advanced Technology Predator 480 (PREDATOR 4)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- X-1
- Airframe hours
- 175
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-C1BD, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Advanced Technology Aircraft
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · August 9, 1985 · 30 hours before
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,500 total · 75 in this make and model · 3,500 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.