Airmass SUNBURST UNREG

Summary

On 5 July 1983 at about 03:10 local time, a Airmass SUNBURST registered UNREG, operated by Jeffery Castanga, was involved in an accident near Tacoma, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

5 July 1983 at 03:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Tacoma, Washington, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Airmass SUNBURST

Registration

UNREG

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Jeffery Castanga

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA83FU007

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 ULTRALIGHT HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN TO TACOMA WITH 2 PHANTOM ULTRALIGHTS IN PREPARATION FOR THE AIRSHOW. DURING DESCENT THE 3 ACFT HAD REACHED SPEEDS OF 75-80 MPH. AFTER LANDING, ONE OF PHANTOM PLTS ASKED THE SUNBURST PLT IF HE KNEW HOW FAST HE WAS GOING AND HE ANSWERED '...NO,NOT REALLY...' THE SUNBURST WAS EQUIPPED WITH A GRADUATED PLASTIC TUBE WITH A MOVABLE FLOAT TO INDICATE AIRSPEED. THE TOP MARK IS '55.' DURING THE AIRSHOW WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT STARTING A DESCENDING LEFT TURN, THEN SUDDENLY 'JERKED' TO THE RIGHT, PITCHING UP ABOUT 10 DEG. THE RIGHT WING WENT BACKWARDS, THENBOTH WINGS ROTATED UPWARDS. THE LEFT WING FRONT SPAR WAS FOUND PULLED OUTWARD FROM THE BOLT & ALUMINUM SPACER. THE RIGHTWING REAR SPAR WAS SEPARATED FROM THE BOLT & BRACKET. THE RIGHT WING FLYING CABLES SEPARATED AT THE RIGHT REAR CARRY THROUGH ATTACHMENT POINT. THE PLTS BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 0.05%.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.