Amateur-built DRIFTER accident near Columbus, Indiana, July 13, 1984
On July 13, 1984, a amateur-built DRIFTER, registered N5150J, was destroyed in an accident near Columbus, Indiana. It was a personal flight 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
- July 13, 1984
- Place
- Columbus, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DRIFTER
- Registration
- N5150J · no longer on the register · serial 043
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE PLT WAS PERFORMING AEROBATICS & DID A SERIES OF LOOPS. WHILE MANEUVERING, THE LEFT WING FOLDED UPWARD & THE ACFT, AN EXPERIMENTAL ULTRALIGHT, ENTERED A DESCENT & CRASHED. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING HAD FOLDED OVER THE ENG. EVIDENCE WAS FOUND THAT A WING BRACING CABLE HAD FAILED FROM OVERLOAD & THAT CABLES HAD BECOME WRAPPED IN THE PROP. NO PRE-ACCIDENT PART FAILURE WAS FOUND. AN FAA TOXICOLOGICAL TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.145%.
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
- Flight time: 292 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 251 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 710 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from LOU, 50 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.