Amateur-built FISHER FP-202 accident near Ludington, Michigan, July 28, 1984
On July 28, 1984 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built FISHER FP-202 (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Ludington, Michigan (Mason County airport). It was a business 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
- July 28, 1984 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ludington, Michigan · Mason County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FISHER FP-202 FISHER FP-
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRA-LIGHT WAS CONSTRUCTED BY THE PILOT AND TWO OTHER PERSONS. THIS GROUP HAD NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION. THIS WAS THE THIRD KNOWN FLIGHT FOR THIS AIRCRAFT. IT HAD BEEN FLOWN TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE AILERONS HAD BEEN MADE. THE PILOT WAS IN A TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL WHEN HE STARTED TO LOOSE ALTITUDE. WHEN HE ADDED POWER THE NOSE STARTED UP THEN THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT SCRAP HOUSE PANELING WAS USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS VEHICLE. ALSO SEVERAL GLUE JOINTS PULLED APART WITHOUT SPLINTERING THE CONTACTING SURFACES.
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: 803 hours in all; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 707 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki 440-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- 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.