Amateur-built FLY BABY 1A accident near New Bern, North Carolina, March 24, 1984
On March 24, 1984 at about 6:10 pm local time, a amateur-built FLY BABY 1A, registered N4986E, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Bern, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- March 24, 1984 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- New Bern, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FLY BABY 1A FLY BABY 1
- Registration
- N4986E · no longer on the register · serial 78-2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THE ACFT LOST LATERAL CONTROL DURING TAKEOFF. HE REDUCED POWER AND LANDED THE ACFT OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY WHILE MAINTAINING DIRECTIONAL CONTROL USING THE RUDDER. THE ACFT STALLED AT ABOUT 20 FT AGL AND WAS DAMAGED DURING THE HARD LANDING. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AILERONS WERE NOT OPERATIVE BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT CONNECTED DURING THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 221 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 220 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1983; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 920 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.
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.