Amateur-built TIERRA accident near Pepin, Wisconsin, August 24, 1983
On August 24, 1983 at about 1:45 pm local time, a amateur-built TIERRA (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Pepin, Wisconsin. 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
- August 24, 1983 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Pepin, Wisconsin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TIERRA
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED & ASSEMBLED THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE. THE PERSON WHO SOLD HIM THE ULTRALIGHT SAID THAT HE SAW THE VEHICLE ON THE NIGHT BEFORE. ACCORDING TO HIM, IT 'LOOKED LIKE HE HAD IT TOGETHER ALL RIGHT.' HE SAID IT WAS HIS IMPRESSION THE PLT HAD TAKEN FLT LESSONS 7 OR 8 YRS BEFORE, BUT HAD NOT SOLOED. HE FURTHER SAID THE PLT WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE TAKEN FLYING LESSONS BEFORE FLYING THE ULTRALIGHT. ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT, THE PLT TOLD HIS WIFE THAT HE WAS GOING TO START IT & PUT IT IN THE GARAGE. SHE HEARD THE ENG RUNNING, AND LATER WHEN SHE LOOKED, SHE FOUND THE ACFT ACROSS A FIELD, WHERE IT HAD CRASHED AGAINST A HILL. THE ULTRALIGHT HAD COME TO REST AT A TREE LINE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF LITTLE MOVEMENT AFTER IMPACT. THE IMPACT HAD OCCURRED ON A 90 DEG HEADING WITH RESPECT TO THE FIELD.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 377 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
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.