- Date
- April 5, 1991, 09:59 local (17:59 UTC)
- Place
- Elk Grove, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- UNREGSunrise Ultralight Spitfire II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 27169
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the operator to maintain adequate airspeed.
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 non-certificated owner of a non-certificated, non-registered airplane, and a non-certificated passenger were maneuvering to land at an airport during a flight in which the passenger was reportedly teaching the owner how to fly. The airplane was observed to stall and descend to the ground in a right turn from an altitude of about 150 feet above the ground. Both occupants received serious injuries. The airplane is similar to an ultralight vehicle but does not meet the ultralight definition. Both occupants do not possess airman or medical certificates.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Sunrise Ultralight Spitfire II (SPITFIRE I)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Engine
- Bombardier ROTEX 503, 52 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- William Nelson
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None