Amateur-built DRAGONFLY accident near Morrisville, North Carolina, February 22, 1985
On February 22, 1985 at about 3:51 pm local time, a amateur-built DRAGONFLY, registered N5275U, was destroyed in an accident near Morrisville, North Carolina (Raleigh/Durham airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- February 22, 1985 · about 3:51 pm local time
- Place
- Morrisville, North Carolina · Raleigh/Durham · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DRAGONFLY
- Registration
- N5275U · no longer on the register · serial 9-84-573
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER/BUILDER HAD PREPARED THE ACFT FOR ITS 1ST FLT. THIS PREPARATION INCLUDED HIGH SPEED TAXI TESTS, A BRAKE LINE REPAIR & ENG ADJUSTMENTS. TWO 17.6 LB BARBELL WEIGHTS WERE TIED TO THE WING LIFT BULKHEAD WITH 5/16 INCH HEMP ROPE FOR PURPOSES OF WEIGHT & BALANCE. A DECISION WAS MADE FOR THE OWNER'S FATHER, AN EXPERIENCED PLT, TO FLY THE INITIAL TEST FLT. THE PLT MADE A HIGH SPEED RUN WITH AN OPTION TO TAKEOFF & ABORTED WHEN THE ENG DEVELOPED A MISS. HE THEN PERFORMED A SATISFACTORY RUN-UP & TOOK OFF ON THE NEXT ATTEMPT. AFTER TAKING OFF, THE PLT REMAINED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN & TURNED ONTO A DOWNWIND FOR RWY 23. THE ACFT THEN NOSED OVER & CRASHED IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT. AN EXAM OF THE FLT CONTROL SYS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION. ALL FRACTURES SHOWED EVIDENCE OF OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE BALLAST WEIGHTS WERE NOT SECURED IN ACCORDANCE WITH NORMAL AERONAUTICAL PRACTICES. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THEY COULD HAVE COME LOOSE & JAMMED THE FLT CONTROLS OR SHIFTED THE CG.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,819 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 13, 1984; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 982 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 60-2DM/1834CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 7,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from RDU, 1 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.
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.