Amateur-built 1A accident near Ephriam, Utah, October 16, 1982
On October 16, 1982 at about 7:10 pm local time, a amateur-built 1A, registered N63498, was destroyed in an accident near Ephriam, Utah. 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
- October 16, 1982 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ephriam, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 1A
- Registration
- N63498 · registry record · serial 64-10
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APPROXIMATELY 4 FT OF THE INBOARD SECTION OF THE LEFT WING SEPARATED IN FLIGHT DURING AN AEROBATIC MANEUVER. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN PERFORMING LITTLE LOOPS & THEN IT WENT STRAIGHT UP & ROLLED OFF TO THE LEFT UPSIDE DOWN. IT THEN SPIRALLED ONCE OR TWICE, STRAIGHTENED OUT, MADE A SLIGHT RIGHT TURN & THEN THE WING FAILED. THE LATEST OPERATING LIMITATIONS FOR THE AMATEUR BUILT ACFT SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITS ANY INTENTIONAL AEROBATIC FLT MANEUVERS.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 810 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 789 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 272 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 925 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ephriam UT at 12:35 pm
- Destination: Ephriam UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 158°F (70°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
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.