Amateur-built SUNBURST MODEL B accident near Ernul, North Carolina, July 2, 1983
On July 2, 1983 at about 4:10 pm local time, a amateur-built SUNBURST MODEL B (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Ernul, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1983 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ernul, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SUNBURST MODEL B SUNBURST M
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS EN ROUTE FROM AYDEN, NC, WHERE HE PURCHASED THE ULTRALIGHT, TO HIS HOME IN HAVELOCK, NC. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE HAD LANDED AT ERNUL, NC TO REFUEL. AFTER REFUELING, HE TOOK OFF, CIRCLED BACK OVER THE FIELD, THEN ADDED POWER & BEGAN TO CLIMB. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE LEFT WING FOLDED UP FROM THE ROOT, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ULTRALIGHT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STEEP NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT BOTH LEFT WING FLYING WIRES (CABLES) HAD SEPARATED WHERE THEY WERE ROUTED OVER THIMBLES FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE HANG CAGE. THE NICOPRESS SLEEVE (SWEDGE FITTING) ON ONE OF THE CABLES HAD BEEN INSTALLED OVER THE PLASTIC COATING ON THE CABLE, RATHER THAN DIRECTLY ON THE CABLE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 430R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Havelock NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.