- Date
- March 20, 1983, 07:50 local (12:50 UTC)
- Place
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- UNREGManta Foxbat
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 30818
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
Reportedly, the plt had received about 5 hrs of ground handling instuctions before he flew the foxbat, ultralight vehicle. The ultralight was equipped with a weight shift control sys. While landing on his 1st flt with this vehicle, it collided with the ground. According to witnesses, the plt failed to arrest the rate of descent when he should have flared to land. According to relatives, the plt had about 93 hours of previous flt time, but this was his 1st flt in a weight shift ultralight. According to witnesses, the plt had his seat belt fastened at the beginning of the flt; however, the seat belt was found unbuckled. An exam of the wreckage area revealed the plt was ejected from the seat during the crash sequence & was fatally injured by the propeller. Testing of the seat belt revealed that it would release when subjected to a sudden pull.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Manta Foxbat
- Category
- Ultralight, amateur-built
- Engine
- Cuyuna 430 CC, 35 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 103
- Registered owner
- Gordon Cook
- Airport
- runway 18, 1,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 55 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F