- Date
- September 15, 1983, 09:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- UNREGAmerican Aerolights EAGLE-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 30824
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
After taking off from a grass field, the 2 place, ultralight vehicle remained in a normal right traffic pattern. As the vehicle was on a base leg for landing, witnesses saw the right wing trailing edge area flutter, then the right wing dropped & the ultralight spiraled nose down & crashed. An exam of the airframe revealed a rip from the right rear inboard sail area. The rip originated near the grommet & seam. Along the 1st 16 1/2 inches of the rip, from the rear forward, the threads of the fabric were found to be feathered. Previously, the manufacturer had recommended a modification to the leading edge canard & the trailing edge of the sail. However, the modification was not accomplished. The modification to prevent a problem with torn sails consisted of 2 strips of basting & grommets to reinforce the wing trailing edge at the inboard areas.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- American Aerolights EAGLE-2
- Category
- Ultralight, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 400123
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 103
- Registered owner
- Tri-Flight Inc.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,400 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TMB, 2 nm away