Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Porterville Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Porterville, California 93257
Sunday, July 10, 1983 20:25 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT OF THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE CLIMBED TO AN ALTITUDE OF 700 FT AGL IN THE PATTERN & TURNED DOWNWIND. ACCORDING TO THE PLT'S PARTNER, THE ULTRALIGHT BEGAN A DUTCH ROLL TYPE OF MANEUVER, AND AFTER SEVERAL OSCILLATIONS, THE VEHICLE STALLED & ENTERED A SPIN TO THE LEFT. FOUR OTHER WITNESSES ALSO OBSERVED PARTS OF THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. ACCORDING TO THEM, THE VEHICLE'S WINGS BEGAN ROCKING ON DOWNWIND, THEN IT ENTERED A SPIN. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE PLT HAD APRX 40 HRS OF FIXED WING FLT TRAINING ABOUT 9 YRS PREVIOUSLY. ACCORDING TO THE CHIEF PLT FOR MITCHELL ACFT, THE PLT HAD COMPLETED A 1 WEEK GROUND SCHOOL COURSE & HAD 5.3 HRS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION IN A 2 PLACE VERSION OF THE ULTRALIGHT. ON HIS 1ST SOLO FLT, THE PLT DID NOT PERFORM SATISFACTORILY, DUE TO A PANIC REACTION & WAS ADVISED NOT TO FLY SOLO UNTIL AFTER ADDITIONAL DUAL INSTRUCTION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/10/1983 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 2025 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | PORTERVILLE |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 93257 |
| Event Date Year | 1983 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | PORTERVILLE |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PTV |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 70 |
| Airport Elevation | 424 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1955 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 170 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BFL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 490 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 40 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Dusk |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 30 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 28 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 11 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 340 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 2052 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2472 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 22792 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | NONE |
| NTSB Number | LAX83FU010 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 103: Ultralight |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | MITCHELL |
| Aircraft Model | A-10 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | A-10 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1030 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | -- |
| Aircraft Category | Ultralight |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Not Registered |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 5 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | AIRSPACE, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 8496 RUCKER ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | GROSSE ILE |
| Aircraft Owner State | MI |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 48138 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Unknown |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Unknown |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Unknown |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2015 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 22 2001 3:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 3 |
| Runway Length | 6000 |
| Runway Width | 146 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |