Amateur-built Q2 accident near Asheboro, North Carolina, May 13, 1983
On May 13, 1983 at about 2:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Q2, registered N3154Z, was destroyed in an accident near Asheboro, North Carolina (Asheboro airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- May 13, 1983 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Asheboro, North Carolina · Asheboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Q2
- Registration
- N3154Z · no longer on the register · serial 2136
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS PARTICULAR HOME BUILT ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN 'AILERON REFLEXER.' THIS MODIFICATION ALLOWED THE PLT TO CHANGE THE FAIRED SETTING OF THE AILERONS, ABOVE OR BELOW THE NORMAL NEUTRAL POSITION. REPORTEDLY, THIS ADJUSTMENT WOULD AFFECT THE LIFT OF THE MAIN WING & WOULD LOAD OR UNLOAD THE CANARD. THE NET EFFECT OF THIS WAS FOR THE PLT TO BE ABLE TO FINE TUNE THE ACFT'S FLT & LANDING ATTITUDE FOR VARIOUS WEIGHT & CG CONDITIONS. WHILE THE PLT/OWNER WAS WAITING FOR HIS INSTRUCTOR (CFI), HE MADE SEVERAL HI SPEED TAXI RUNS ON THE RWY. DURING THESE RUNS, HE HAD POSITIONED THE REFLEXER FULL UP. AFTER COMPLETING THE TAXI RUNS, HE RETURNED TO THE RAMP TO MEET THE CFI, BUT LEFT THE REFLEXER IN THE UP POSITION. BOTH CREW MEMBERS REPORTED THAT THE ACFT LIFTED OFF PREMATURELY & THE PLT OVERCONTROLLED DURING THE CLIMB. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE ACFT CLIMBED TO 75 OR 80 FT, THEN VEERED RIGHT & WENT INTO TREES. WITH THE REFLEXER FULL UP, THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE AILERONS WERE APRX 6 DEG ABOVE NORMAL, PROVIDING MINIMUM LIFT TO THE WING.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 731 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 2,370 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Revmaster 2100 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
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.