Eipper MX UNREG

Summary

On 28 December 1983 at about 17:45 local time, a Eipper MX registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Ramona, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

28 December 1983 at 17:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Ramona, California, United States

Coordinates

33.0702, -116.8309

Aircraft

Eipper MX

Registration

UNREG

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX84FU024

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT WAS FLYING THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE TO CHECK IT OUT BEFORE ALLOWING HIS STUDENT TO SOLO. APRX 15 MIN AFTER THE PLT TOOK OFF, HE WAS FLYING OVER THE ARPT AT ABOUT 400 FT AGL WHEN WITNESSES HEARD A 'LOUD NON-METALLIC' SOUND FROM THE VEHICLE. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, IT ENTERED A LEFT DESCENDING TURN. REPORTEDLY, THE VEHICLE MADE ABOUT 3 TURNS, AND DURING EACH TURN, THE BANK ANGLE INCREASED. AT APRX 200 FT AGL, THE PLT RELEASED HIS PARACHUTE, BUT THE CANOPY NEVER BLOSSOMED.THE VEHICLE IMPACTED IN A LEFT WING DOWN, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT WING FABRIC WAS TORN IN A MANNER THAT WAS CONSISTENT WITH AN IN-FLT SEPARATION. THE OUTBOARD COMPRESSION SUPPORT TUBE WAS FOUND 15 FT FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. ONLY REMNANTS OF THE ATTACH BOLT WERE FOUND. FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED AFTER OCT 83, THE COMPANY HAD CHANGED THE GRADE OF THE BOLT, BUT HAD NOT ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN. HOWEVER, A SERVICE BULLETIN, ALL-8303-A, WAS ISSUED CONCERNING LOOSENING OF COURSE THREAD BOLTS (SIMILAR TO THE ATTACH BOLT) BUT NO EVIDENCE OF COMPLIANCE WAS FOUND.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.