Ultralight Flight, Inc. PHANTOM accident near St. Joseph, Illinois, June 16, 1984
On June 16, 1984 at about 1:00 am local time, a Ultralight Flight, Inc. PHANTOM, registered UNREG, was involved in an accident near St. Joseph, Illinois (Busboom (Pvt) airport). It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 16, 1984 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- St. Joseph, Illinois · Busboom (Pvt) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ultralight Flight, Inc. PHANTOM
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 00172
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PRACTICING POWER-OFF LANDINGS, DURING WHICH HE REPORTEDLY CUT-OFF THE ENGINE AT ABOUT 50 FT AGL. DURING THE 5TH LANDING OF THIS TYPE, THE ULTRALIGHT LOST SPEED, THEN ENTERED A DESCENT & TOUCHED DOWN HARD IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 440 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki TA 440A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.