Flug-Und Fahrzeugwerke (Ffa) DIAMANT accident near Frankfort, Michigan, July 10, 1983
On July 10, 1983 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Flug-Und Fahrzeugwerke (Ffa) DIAMANT (glider), registered N37AC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Frankfort, Michigan (Frankfort airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- July 10, 1983 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Frankfort, Michigan · Frankfort · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flug-Und Fahrzeugwerke (Ffa) DIAMANT
- Registration
- N37AC · registry record · serial 049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING A WINCH TOW TAKEOFF THE RIGHT WING CAUGHT IN TALL GRASS & SOFT SAND, & THE GLIDER GROUND-LOOPED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 550 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 14, 2,750 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.