Amateur-built SPECIAL accident near Dahlonega, Georgia, July 21, 1983
On July 21, 1983, a amateur-built SPECIAL (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Dahlonega, Georgia. 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 21, 1983
- Place
- Dahlonega, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPECIAL
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 83-102-2
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE WAS OBSERVED TO CLIMB ABOUT 600 TO 700 FT OVER A PASTURE EAST OF THE RWY, THEN THE PLT BEGAN TO PERFORM AEROBATIC MANEUVERS. AFTER COMPLETING A LOOP, THE ULTRALIGHT WAS OBSERVED TO ROTATE NOSE UP. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, A WITNESS HEARD A CRACKING SOUND. HE SAID THE ROTATION THEN STOPPED & THE ULTRALIGHT STARTED FALLING NOSE 1ST TOWARD THE GROUND. A PLT, WHO WAS WATCHING, SAID THE LEFT WING WAS FLUTTERING, BUT DID NOT COLLAPSE DURING THE UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. REPORTEDLY, THE ENG WAS AT FULL POWER UNTIL IMPACT. THE PREVIOUS OWNER, WHO WAS ALSO A DEALER, SAID HE HAD WARNED THE PLT NOT TO PERFORM AEROBATICS IN THIS ULTRALIGHT. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING INNER & CENTER COMPRESSION STRUTS WERE BENT & THE LEFT TRAILING EDGE SPAR WAS BROKEN AT THE INNER COMPRESSION STRUT ATTACHING BOLT HOLE. THE INNER SURFACE OF THE REAR SPAR, NEAR THE COMPRESSION STRUT, SHOWED SIGNS OF COMPRESSION & COLUMN BUCKLING PRIOR TO FRACTURE.
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
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 80 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki TA-440A-F202 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9A0 Dahlonega GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.