Amateur-built ACRO SPORT accident near Huntersville, North Carolina, July 9, 1983
On July 9, 1983 at about 6:30 pm local time, a amateur-built ACRO SPORT, registered N16SE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntersville, North Carolina (Bradford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 9, 1983 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Huntersville, North Carolina · Bradford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ACRO SPORT
- Registration
- N16SE · registry record · serial 2329
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING INVERTED FLT OVER AN ARPT. THE PILOT HAD MADE SEVERAL AEROBATIC MANEUVERS OVER THE AIRFIELD. ON THE LAST PASS THE ACFT WAS INVERTED AT LOW ALT AS IT PROCEEDED DOWN THE RWY IT DRIFTED WEST ABOUT 200 FT AND HIT A TREE NEAR THE TOP. THE PILOT ROLLED RIGHT SIDE UP AND MADE A HIGH SPEED WHEEL LANDING WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENTTHE FAA CONFIRMED THAT A LOW ALT WAIVER HAD NOT BEEN OBTAINED PRIOR TO THIS FLT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,044 hours in all; 16 in the last 90 days; 934 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 110 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 4, 1983; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-AHA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,850 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from CLT, 14 miles away
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 N16SE 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.