Dauntless D52 accident near Sebring, Ohio, April 25, 1982
On April 25, 1982 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Dauntless D52, registered N1422D, was destroyed in an accident near Sebring, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- April 25, 1982 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Sebring, Ohio
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dauntless D52
- Registration
- N1422D · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BOTH WINGS SEPARATED DURING AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST FLIGHT OF THE MOTORIZED GLIDER. THE PLT HAD INDICATED THE TESTS WOULD INCLUDE CLIMBING TO A SAFE ALTITUDE & DOING A FEW POWER-OFF SHALLOW GLIDES TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY INDICATION OF FLUTTER AT PERHAPS MAX SPEED OF INDICATED 130-135 MPH.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-M2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dauntless, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: C North Benton OH at 5:15 pm
- Destination: C North Benton OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:00 pm from CLE, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.