Quad City CHALLENGER accident near Bridgeport, Michigan, May 2, 1995
On May 2, 1995 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Quad City CHALLENGER (ultralight), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N100GB, was destroyed in an accident near Bridgeport, Michigan. 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
INADEQUATE DIRECTIONAL STABILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT (DUE TO INSTALLATION OF LEXAN COCKPIT ENCLOSURE DOORS), WHICH PRECIPITATED A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 1995 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quad City CHALLENGER, amateur-built
- Registration
- N100GB · registry record · serial CW0844
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE MAKING A RIGHT CLIMBING TURN AFTER TAKEOFF, APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET AGL, THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO BANK TO THE LEFT. DESPITE HIS USE OF FULL RIGHT RUDDER, HE WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, 'THE PLANE KEPT TIGHTENING UP INTO A LEFT FLAT SPIRAL TO THE GROUND.' THE AIRPLANE HAD LEXAN DOORS INSTALLED TO ENCLOSE THE COCKPIT/CABIN AREA. THE DOORS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THIS KIT AIRPLANE, BUT WERE SUBSEQUENTLY MADE AVAILABLE AS A STANDARD OR OPTIONAL FEATURE, DEPENDING ON THE MODEL. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT WHEN THE DOORS ARE INSTALLED, THE AIRPLANE BECOMES RUDDER DOMINANT AND SENSITIVE AND THAT PILOTS MUST NOT TAKE THEIR FEET OFF THE RUDDER PEDALS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,091 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 1,572 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 8:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.