Amateur-built SUNBURST B accident near Norwalk, Ohio, April 27, 1983
On April 27, 1983 at about 9:35 pm local time, a amateur-built SUNBURST B (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Norwalk, Ohio. It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 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
- April 27, 1983 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Norwalk, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SUNBURST B
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial NONE
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRALIGHT MADE SEVERAL LOW ALTITUDE TURNS OVER THE AREA AND IN HEADING FOR AN OPEN FIELD SEVERAL 35 FT TREES HAD TOBE CLEARED. CLEARANCE OF THE TREES WAS ESTIMATED BY WITNESSES AS 5 FT OR LESS. THE ACFT WENT OUT OF CONTROL IN A LEFT TURN BEYOND THE TREES AND CRASHED IN A TRAPID NOSE DOWN DESCENT. NO MALFUNCTIONS WERE NOTED DURING THE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,644 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 199 in the last 90 days; 2,575 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna TWIN CYLINDER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 50°F (10°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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG 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.