Amateur-built DRAGON FLY accident near Lansing, Michigan, June 2, 1984
On June 2, 1984, a amateur-built DRAGON FLY, registered N4463L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lansing, Michigan (Capital City 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
- June 2, 1984
- Place
- Lansing, Michigan · Capital City
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DRAGON FLY
- Registration
- N4463L · no longer on the register · serial 073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT INADVERTENTLY BECAME AIRBORNE ON A HIGH SPEED TAXI TEST. THE PLT LOWERED THE NOSE RESULTING IN A PORPOISE & THECANARD WAS DAMAGED. THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR CERTIFIED BY THE FAA. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT WING HAD A HIGHER ANGLE OF INCIDENCE THAN THE LEFT CREATING AN ASYMMETRICAL LIFT CONDITION. THE PILOT APPLIED RIGHT STICK TO LIFT THE LEFT WING AND THE ACFT ATTAINED A HEIGHT OF 4 FT TO 5 FT.
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: 1,970 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen HAPI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27L, 7,251 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N4463L 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.